By Tony O’Reilly-
Georgia Meloni, whose political party has neo-fascist roots, has been sworn in as Italy’s first far-right premier since the end of the Second World War.
Ms Meloni, 45, took the oath of office before the Italian president at the presidential palace, also becoming the first woman to be the nation’s leader.
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Her Brothers of Italy party was the top vote-getter in last month’s national election.
Ms Meloni announced her cabinet on Friday evening.
The presidential palace official announced that Meloni, set to become the first woman to serve as the country’s prime minister, and her cabinet would be sworn in on Saturday. Meloni’s Brothers of Italy, a party with neo-fascist roots, was the top vote-winner in Italy’s national election last month.
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She takes over from a very different leader in Mario Draghi who was brought in to run a country struggling to emerge from the effects of coronavirus and economic crisis.
Nato member Italy is the EU’s third biggest economy and Ms Meloni has sought to assure its Western allies that nothing will change in its foreign policy.
She made the short trip to the presidential palace in a white Fiat 500 car, before a private meeting with the president that lasted well over an hour. She then announced who would be in her cabinet.
Her government will include Matteo Salvini’s far-right League and the right-of-centre Forza Italia of Silvio Berlusconi – the 86-year-old former prime minister who for days has been at the centre of a row surrounding two leaked recordings that underlined his pro-Putin views and shook the coalition.
A few hours before the new government’s formation was announced, Meloni, 45, a career politician, told reporters that she and her allies had unanimously asked President Sergio Mattarella to give her the mandate to govern.
Obtaining the premiership capped a remarkably quick rise for 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.
Meloni made no public comments before leaving the Quirinal presidential palace. Earlier in the day, she met with Mattarella, along with her two main, sometimes troublesome, rightwing allies – Matteo Salvini and the former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.
Her coalition allies include the 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”.The pledge was signed by her and counter-signed 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.
Mattarella told reporters the government was formed in “brief time” following the 25 September election. After the last election, in 2018, it took three months for a new ruling coalition to come together.
Quickly giving the country a new government “was possible due to the clarity of the vote outcome and to the need to proceed swiftly also because of the domestic and international conditions that require a government in its fullness to carry out its tasks”, Mattarella said.
Italy and much of the rest of Europe are struggling with soaring energy costs and the drama of Russia’s war in Ukraine, which could crimp gas supplies this winter and continue increasing household and business power bills.
ters are technocrats, not representing any party,
The pledge was signed by her and counter-signed 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, and six of them are women.
Ms Meloni will head her first cabinet meeting on Sunday.
Ms Meloni will head her first cabinet meeting on Sunday.
Newly appointed infrastructures minister Matteo Salvini arrives with his girlfriend Francesca Verdini at the Quirinal presidential palace to be sworn in (Andrew Medichini/AP)
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 Septe
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