CNN
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Populist Firebrand Giorgia Meloni was honored as Italy’s first female prime minister, becoming the country’s most far-right leader since Benito Mussolini.
She received the mandate to form a government from President Sergio Mattarella of Italy on Friday afternoon after two days of formal consultations and will be sworn in at 10 a.m. local time (4 a.m. local time). ET) on Saturday.
Last month’s general election resulted in a coalition of far-right and centre-right parties, led by her Italy’s ultra-conservative brotherswon enough seats in the Italian parliament to form a government.
Meloni announced the government’s choice at Rome’s Quirinal Palace, prompting the leader of Italy’s far-right League party, Matteo Salvini, infrastructure minister.
Giancarlo Giorgetti, also of the League Party, was appointed Economy Minister. Antonio Tajani from the Forza Italia party was given the position of foreign minister while the role of defense minister went to Guido Crosetto, one of the founders of Italy’s Brotherhood party.
The new government will include a coalition of Meloni’s Brotherhood in Italy, Salvini’s League and Forza Italia, led by former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. The Brothers of Italy received nine ministries while Forza Italia and the Federation each received five.
Meloni will be sworn in in a ceremony at 10 a.m. local time (4 a.m. ET) on Saturday morning.
Pulling her new wardrobe together revealed tension. This weekControversial former leader Berlusconi made headlines when an audio recording released by Italian news agency LaPresse revealed the 86-year-old’s speech about his “reestablished” relationship with the Russian President. Vladimir Putin.
Berlusconi’s office confirmed to CNN on Thursday that the clips were authentic – apparently being secretly recorded during a meeting of his Forza Italia party in the chamber of parliament on Tuesday.
In the recording, the billionaire and media mogul says he has “re-established relations with President Putin” and goes on to boast that the Russian leader has called him “the first of five friends.” really his”.
His comments have left diplomatic relations between Russia and Western leaders still strained amid the Kremlin’s fatigued military. attack Ukraine.
Berlusconi has been the subject of numerous corruption and bribery trials during this time tumultuous political career.
Meloni was a strong supporter of Ukraine as it resisted the invasion of Moscow. Amid backlash against her coalition over Berlusconi’s leaked comments, she has recalibrated her foreign policy line.
“With our management, Italy will never be the weak link of the West. The nation of pasta and mandolini so beloved by our detractors will rebuild its credibility and protect its interests,” Meloni said late Wednesday on her Instagram account.
Speaking earlier on Friday after a meeting with Mattarella and her coalition partners, Meloni said a new government needed to be formed “as soon as possible”.
Meloni’s official Facebook page states: “We are ready to run Italy. “We will be able to face the urgency and challenges of our times with awareness and energy.”
Meloni entered the crowded Italian political scene in 2006 and in 2012 co-founded the Brothers of Italy, a party whose agenda is rooted in Europeanism and anti-immigration policies.
The group’s popularity skyrocketed ahead of the September elections, when Italian voters again rejected mainstream politics and opted for a marginalized figure.
She first became vice president of the National Coalition, a neo-Nazi group founded by supporters of Benito Mussolini. Meloni herself had openly admired the dictator in her youth, but has since moved away from his brand of fascism – though kept the tricolor flame symbolizing the eternal flame above his mausoleum. him in the logo of the Italian Brothers.
She has pursued a staunch Conservative agenda throughout her time in politics, frequently questioning LGBT rights, abortion rights, and immigration policies.
