Giorgia Meloni takes oath of office as she is sworn in as Italy’s first female PM and will lead country’s first far-right Government since WW2
- Far-right leader of the Brothers of Italy party Giorgia Meloni was today sworn in as Italy’s first female PM
- The party has neo-fascist roots in the defunct Italian Social Movement founded by Mussolini supporters
- Ms Meloni, 45, will be Italy’s first far-right leader since fascist Mussolini was deposed during WW2 in 1943
- She has announced her cabinet yesterday which includes members from Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party
Giorgia Meloni has today been sworn in as Italy’s first far-right premier since the end of the Second World War as well as the first woman to take the role of Italian Prime Minister.
Ms Meloni, 45, whose political party has neo-fascist roots, took the oath of office before the Italian president at the Quirinale Presidential Palace in Rome.
Her Brothers of Italy party received the most votes Italy during last month’s Italian general election, winning 26 per cent of the vote, 119 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 65 in the Senate.
The party has neo-fascist origins in the Italian Social Movement, which was founded by Mussolini supporters.
Ms Meloni, 45, will be the leader of Italy’s most far-right government since fascist Benito Mussolini was deposed during WW2 in 1943.
Ms Meloni announced her first cabinet yesterday evening.
Her coalition allies include the anti-immigrant and right-wing League of Matteo Salvini and the conservative Forza Italia party headed by former premier Silvio Berlusconi.
Ms Meloni recited the ritual oath of office, pledging to be faithful to Italy’s post-war republic and to act ‘in the exclusive interests of the nation’.
Giorgia Meloni has today been sworn in as Italy’s first far-right premier since the end of the Second World War. Pictured: Giorgia Meloni, 45, waves to cameras before the swearing-in ceremony at the Quirinale Presidential Palace in Rome today
Italian President, Sergio Mattarella, and Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, during the swearing-in ceremony of the new Italian Government
The Prime Minister took the oath of office before the Italian president at the Quirinale Presidential Palace in Rome
The pledge of office was signed by Ms Meloni and countersigned by President Sergio Mattarella, who, in his role as head of state, serves as guarantor of the constitution, drafted in the years immediately after the end of the war, which saw the demise of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini
Newly appointed Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni shakes hand with Infrastructure, sustainable mobility and Vice premier Matteo Salvini
Husband of the Italian Premier Andrea Giambruno holds in his arm their daughter Ginevra flanked by sister Arianna Meloni
Matteo Salvini, one of the deputy prime ministers, shows his enthusiasm for the new leader during the swearing in of the Meloni government at the Quirinale Palace today
The pledge was signed by her and countersigned by President Sergio Mattarella, who, in his role as head of state, serves as guarantor of the constitution, drafted in the years immediately after the end of the war, which saw the demise of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.
Ms Meloni’s 24 ministers followed, similarly swearing in.
Five of the ministers are technocrats, not representing any party.
Six of them are women.
One of her new deputy prime ministers, Matteo Salivini, was seen making a heart symbol as he expressed his support to her.
Ms Meloni will head her first cabinet meeting on Sunday.
Her government replaces that led by Mario Draghi, a former European Central Bank chief, who was appointed by Mr Mattarella in 2021 to lead a pandemic national unity coalition.
Ms Meloni was the sole major party leader to refuse to join the coalition, insisting the nation’s voters return to the polls, which they did on September 25.
Obtaining the premiership was a rapid rise to power for the Brothers of Italy. Meloni co-founded the party in December 2012, and it was considered a fringe movement on the right during its first years.
Italy along with much of the rest of Europe are struggling with soaring energy costs and the crisis caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine, which could further impact gas supplies this winter and continue increasing household and business power bills.
President of Italy Sergio Mattarella shakes hand with Italy’s new Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as members of the government look on
Pictured: Italian President Sergio Mattarella (fourth-right, front row), Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (fifth-right) and members of the government pose for a group picture during the swearing-in ceremony
Newly sworn in Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, center, and her Cabinet pose for a family photo after being sworn-in
Newly sworn in Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, center, smiles flanked by Ministers after a family photo
Her election comes after a turbulent time in Italian politics as messy coalitions formed and fell apart before technocrat Mario Draghi was appointed to take control of the economy until an election could be held.
But Meloni’s success is far from assured. She staunchly backs Ukraine in its war with Russia, but coalition partners Mr Berlusconi and Matteo Salvini – leader of the Lega Nord party – have voiced sympathies for Putin.
Tensions over the issue are said to have hobbled coalition talks, with leaked audio appearing to show Berlusconi discussing his ties to Moscow and view that Ukraine started the war.
However, in public he has been keen to insist his views are in lockstep with Ms Meloni and the European Union.
What bonds all three candidates are shared Eurosceptic views and a desire to see immigration to Italy greatly reduced.
Meloni’s coalition wants to renegotiate Italy’s part of the EU’s post-Covid recovery fund, arguing the almost 200 billion euros it expects to receive should take into account the current energy crisis, exacerbated by Moscow’s invasion.
But the funds are tied to a series of reforms only just begun by outgoing Prime Minister Mario Draghi, and analysts say she has limited room for manoeuvre.
Meloni had campaigned on a platform of ‘God, country and family’, sparking fears of a regression on rights in the Catholic-majority country.
She has distanced herself from her party’s neo-fascist past – and her own, after praising dictator Benito Mussolini as a teenager – and presented herself as a straight-talking but unthreatening leader.
But she and her party have been outspoken against women’s rights to an abortion and gay rights.
At political rallies Meloni has fiercely denounced what she calls ‘gender ideology’ and ‘the LGBT lobby’.
Newly appointed Enterprise and Made in Italy Minister, Adolfo Urso, arrives with wife Olga at Quirinal presidential palace to be sworn in
Newly appointed Relations with Parliament Minister Luca Ciriani arrives with his wife Claudia Cusinato
Newly appointed Reforms Minister, Maria Elisabetta Casellati arrives to be sworn in
Newly appointed Minister for University and Research, Anna Maria Bernini, center, to be sworn in
Meloni had campaigned on a platform of ‘God, country and family’, sparking fears of a regression on rights in the Catholic-majority country. Pictured: Newly appointed Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni leaves the Quirinale Palace
Obtaining the premiership was a rapid rise to power for the Brothers of Italy. Meloni co-founded the party in December 2012, and it was considered a fringe movement on the right during its first years
Federico Mollicone, her culture spokesperson, said last week that same-sex parenting was not normal, triggering outrage.
Speaking in a television interview with San Marino’s Rtv late on Thursday, Mollicone revived criticism he had previously expressed of an episode of the popular children’s cartoon ‘Peppa Pig’ that featured a polar bear with two mothers.
‘It is a very serious issue,’ Mollicone said. ‘As long as the Italian state does not legislate on these couples, presenting them as something absolutely normal is wrong, because it is not.’
He went on to say that ‘in Italy homosexual couples are not legal, are not allowed’ – despite the country having legalised same-sex civil unions in 2016 with a reform that FdI opposed in parliament.
During the campaign, Meloni has repeatedly denied suggestions she might roll back legislation on abortion or gay rights, while reaffirming her opposition to adoptions and surrogacy for LGBT couples.
Meloni said she wanted to give a choice to women unsure about terminating pregnancies.
‘We won’t touch the abortion law. We just want (women) to know there are other options,’ she said.
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