Far-right Meloni sworn in as Italy’s first woman prime minister

The modern Italian constitution and state were forged by anti-fascist forces that defeated Benito Mussolini's dictatorship and helped the Allies drive German troops out of Italy during World War II.

Thus, to see a political party with roots in Italy's post-fascist movements is very disconcerting for many Italians; adding to the dismay, Meloni’s rise to power coincides almost to the day when Mussolini's “black shirts” marched on Rome 100 years ago at the end of October and staged a coup d'etat that established fascism as a new form of government. Adolf Hitler was inspired by Mussolini and mimicked him on his own way to seizing power in Germany.

Meloni's Brothers of Italy party won about 26% of the vote in September elections, the most of any party. The center-left Democratic Party came in second with about 19% of the vote and the 5-Star Movement third with about 15%. The 5-Stars and the Democratic Party refused to join forces, which opened the door for Meloni and other right-wing parties to form a government.  

In 2018, Meloni’s party won only about 4% of the national vote, but since then Meloni has positioned herself as the country's leading right-wing voice and taken on the aura of a rebel as the Brothers of Italy became the only major party not to join a technocratic government led by former European Central Bank head Mario Draghi.

Meloni will be ruling in a coalition with Matteo Salvini’s far-right League party and Italian business magnate Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia group.

Domestically, this right-wing coalition is expected to advocate for pro-business policies, promote Italian families to have more children, seek to curb abortion rights, put up barriers to the flow of migrants from North Africa across the Mediterranean, and push for big infrastructure projects, such as new oil and gas developments and the building of a mammoth bridge across the Strait of Messina to connect mainland Italy to Sicily.  

On foreign affairs, Meloni has in the past aligned herself with nationalist politicians who want to limit the power of EU laws and rules. She’s also talked about the need to put Italy’s interests before those of the EU, for instance on energy policy.

Before the outbreak of war in Ukraine, Meloni spoke warmly about Russian President Vladimir Putin, as did many others on the far right in Europe and America. Putin is admired by many on the hard right for his mix of conservatism, traditionalism, militarism, anti-liberalism and religiosity.        

But facing pressure to side with NATO and Ukraine against Russia, Meloni has insisted her government will tow the line set down by Washington and Brussels against the Kremlin. Still, there are doubts about Italy’s commitment to the war because there are strong pro-Putin members inside the ruling coalition, with Berlusconi chief among them. Berlusconi rocked Italian politics recently with two videos in which he blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for pushing Putin into invading.

Already, it is clear that Meloni’s government is keen on pursuing a direction in line with a far-right creed.

Last week, the new right-wing coalition elected Ignazio La Russa as the president of the Senate, Italy’s second-highest office.

With a father who served in Mussolini’s fascist government, La Russa, 75, has been active in post-fascist parties for decades and helped found the Brothers of Italy along with Meloni. His middle name is Benito and he’s opened his apartment to journalists to show off busts, medals and photographs of Mussolini, who was known as “the Duce.”

“We are all heirs of the Duce,” La Russa said during the election campaign.

“This election means we've overcome a long-held prejudices against the right” in Italian politics, La Russa said in an interview on RAI, the Italian public broadcaster.

He served as defense minister under Berlusconi’s last government between 2008 and 2011. Meloni also held a cabinet position during that government as the youth minister. At 31, she became the youngest member ever to serve in an Italian cabinet.    

Meanwhile, the head of lower house, the Chamber of Deputies, is Lorenzo Fontana from the League. Fontana, 42, is an ultraconservative arch-Catholic who’s called himself a “crusader” against abortion, euthanasia, same-sex marriages and civil unions, “pro-LGBT” sex education and stepchild adoption.

Along with many others in his party, Fontana wants to stop the flow of African and Asian immigrants and refugees seeking refuge and work in the EU. He’s claimed they pose a threat to Italy by erasing “Italian people along with their communities and traditions.”

Meloni’s neo-fascist aims also are visible in changes to the names of certain ministries. The Ministry of Economic Development is now called the “Ministry of Business and Made in Italy,” presumably a name change meant to promote Italian-made products. Likewise, the Agriculture Ministry has been given the task to promote Italy’s “sovereignty over food.” Meanwhile, the Ministry of the Family is now also the department in charge of “natality,” or birth promotion. The Ministry of the Family will be led by Eugenia Roccella, an anti-abortion advocate opposed to artificial insemination.   

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Courthouse News reporter Cain Burdeau is based in the European Union.

Follow @cainburdeau

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