Giorgia Meloni, who is anticipated to lead a right-wing government in Italy, is currently determining who would hold the most prominent positions in the government she is slated to form.
Ms. Meloni, the leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, has kept a low profile since her election victory when she pledged to rule for all Italians.
Who will fill the crucial positions and will they go to other parties within her right-wing alliance?
For instance, Matteo Salvini was known to crave interior ministry.
In 2019, the leader of the far-right League prevented rescue vessels bringing migrants from entering Italian ports.
Ms. Meloni has also pledged a tough approach to irregular migration, but rumors out of Rome indicate that Mr. Salvini will not be able to reprise his position.
On Sunday, support for Mr. Salvini’s League dropped to 8.8%, so he cannot claim top positions. Roberto Maroni, a former leader of the League, has even proposed that Mr. Salvini should step aside.
Giorgia Meloni, meantime, has reached new heights: she will become the country’s first female prime minister at the head of its most conservative administration since World War II late next month.
Since her victory address early on Monday morning, she has delegated speaking duties to her top lieutenants. She picked up her daughter from school and then went to the gym to relieve her stress.
Multiple European nations have expressed concern over her triumph. Mark Rutte, the prime minister of the Netherlands, stated that Italy was a cause for concern because parties in her coalition had “said and done things that should make us vigilant,” mentioning the economy and relations with Russia as examples.
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire stated that he hoped a Meloni government would continue the economic reforms began by departing Prime Minister Mario Draghi, but that he had no reservations about the eurozone’s stability. He stated that a Meloni administration will be evaluated by its acts.
According to unsubstantiated media sources, one of her first activities after winning the election with 26% of the vote was to speak by phone with her predecessor Mr. Draghi.
Guido Crosetto, who co-founded Brothers of Italy with Giorgia Meloni in 2012, asserted that the right-wing alliance will honor all of Italy’s obligations and safeguard its public finances.
Even before Italy receives a new government, it must submit a draught budget to the European Commission by the middle of October, and Mr. Crosetto expressed his optimism that the Draghi administration would collaborate with the next administration on this matter.
In addition, he warned that no one would be appointed to the new cabinet if they placed party flags on seats. “The Meloni administration will be formed using Italy’s finest resources,” he told Il Messaggero.
After her party won more than a quarter of the seats in the next parliament, President Sergio Mattarella is set to ask Ms. Meloni to form a government in late October.
Together, the League and Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia control more than half of the Chamber and Senate.
During the election campaign, Ms. Meloni toned down her language, although in the past she has blasted the “LGBT lobby” and mass migration. Her party was established as a result of a post-war movement with roots in the fascist background of dictator Benito Mussolini.
Prof. Roberto D’Alimonte, an Italian political scientist, noted that despite her post-fascist cultural heritage, Ms. Meloni had recently stated she would not alter Mario Draghi’s policy on helping Ukraine during the Russian invasion and has discussed budgetary responsibility.
“She did this because she needed to bolster her credentials to be a respectable prime ministerial contender,” he told.
Silvio Berlusconi, a veteran leader of the center-right who is a member of the Meloni coalition, told Corriere Della Sera, “If I believed there was a chance of a populist shift, I would not even launch the administration.”
However, Ms. Meloni has proposed a reevaluation of the massive EU package of Covid recovery cash handed to Italy in exchange for extensive changes.
The European Commission decided to release its second installment of €21 billion (£18.7 billion) on Tuesday, and the incoming government will not want to jeopardize the next €19 billion due before the end of the year.
Despite Brothers of Italy’s efforts to soothe the reaction to its triumph on Sunday, the markets responded with anxiety, bringing Italian bonds under pressure; the so-called difference between German and Italian yields widened to its worst extent since the government collapsed in July.
Antonio Tajani, a prominent member of Mr. Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party, stated on Tuesday that it was premature to speculate who will participate in the Meloni cabinet.
He stated, however, that he will comply with Ms. Meloni and the Italian president’s decision.
