Meloni requests mandate to form Italy’s first far-right-led government since WWII
Brothers of Italy leader, whose party has neo-fascist roots, meets with Italian president; she makes announcement flanked by her two main, right-wing allies Salvini and Berlusconi
ROME (AP) — Italian politician Giorgia Meloni, whose party has neo-fascist roots, said Friday that she and her allies have asked the nation’s president to give her the mandate to form what would be Italy’s first far-right-led government since the end of World War II.
Meloni and her campaign allies met for about 10 minutes with President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinal presidential palace. She emerged to tell reporters that the coalition had unanimously indicated to Mattarella that she deserved the mandate to govern.
A Quirinal official indicated Mattarella’s decision might be announced later.
If Meloni, 45, succeeds, she would be the first woman to become Italian premier.
“We have indicated myself as the person who should be mandated to form the new government,” Meloni said, flanked by her two main, sometimes troublesome, right-wing allies — Matteo Salvini and former Premier Silvio Berlusconi. “We are ready and we want to move forward in the shortest possible time.”
She cited urgent problems “at both national and international level,” apparent references to soaring energy prices afflicting households and businesses and the war in Ukraine.
Berlusconi and Salvini, who stayed silent during Meloni’s brief remarks to reporters, are longtime admirers of Russian leader Vladimir Putin; Meloni staunchly backs Ukraine in its defense against the Russian invasion. Those differences could make coalition rule challenging.
Berlusconi, a three-time premier, has been chafing over the election victory by Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party, with its roots in neo-fascism, in the past month.
He recently derided her as “arrogant” in written comments. Earlier this week in a meeting with his lawmakers he expressed sympathy for Putin’s motivation for invading Ukraine.
In response to Berlusconi’s comments that were also derogatory about Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky, Meloni insisted that anyone joining her government must be solidly in synch with the West in opposing Putin’s war. If that meant her government couldn’t be formed, Meloni said, she’d take that risk.
Salvini has at times also questioned the wisdom of tough Western sanctions against Russia. A fellow lawmaker in Salvini’s League party who was recently elected president of the lower Chamber of Deputies has publicly expressed doubts about continuing the measures.
Outgoing Premier Mario Draghi’s national pandemic unity coalition collapsed in July, after Salvini, Berlusconi and populist 5-Star Movement leader Giuseppe Conte refused to back his government in a confidence vote. That prompted Mattarella to dissolve parliament and pave the way for elections some six months early.
While final efforts to form the new government were underway, Draghi was in Brussels, attending the final day of a European Council summit, grappling with ways to deal with higher energy prices.
The Times of Israel Community.