Giorgia Meloni: One Year Later
Giorgia Meloni; Italy’s first female Prime Minister, and simultaneously the most right-wing leader since Italy’s fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini. Meloni has a long political history, being part of fascist youth movements since the age of 15, she now leads the Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy) party, who own 119 out of the 237 seats of the centre-right coalition government that came into power in September 2022, after a snap election that was triggered by the collapse of Mario Draghi’s previous government in July 2022.
The Fratelli d’Italia party have somewhat controversial links with the Movimento Sociale Italiano (Italian Social Movement) and Alleanza Nazionale (National Alliance), both of which have roots in Italian fascism as they were formed by fascist politicians following the Second World War and the death of Italy’s dictator, Benito Mussolini. Fratelli d’Italia, nonetheless, describe themselves as conservative, despite such affiliations, however Meloni labels herself as a nationalist, right-wing populist; she is open about her opposition of abortion, euthanasia, immigration, and LBGTQ parenting rights, amongst other hot topics.
One of the first things Meloni did once in office was remove the ‘Green Pass’, a compulsory COVID vaccination certificate that determined whether Italians could work or travel following the pandemic; other policies include capping energy prices, increasing government allowances given to Italian families from €2,000 to €5,000, and improving international relations with Africa, among other nations. That being said, Meloni’s stance on abortion and other social issues appears vague and contains various contradictions: Eugina Roccella, Meloni’s ‘Family and Birth Rate’ minister is openly anti-abortion, however, Meloni has promised to protect abortion laws and keep them as they are. This is furthermore conflicted as she simultaneously announces the authority of a doctor to refuse to carry out an abortion, and has expressed interest in introducing a law to make surrogacy illegal in Italy. This discontinuity in Meloni’s statements about abortion and related topics leaves onlookers uncertain and anxious for the future of abortion rights in Italy, especially considering that Italy’s abortion law has been established since 1978, it would cause uproar if Meloni changes her mind on this matter and decides to reflect this in her policies.
Meloni’s long political history has come back to bite her a few times over the past few years, everything from a recording of her endorsing Mussolini as a ‘good politician’ when she was 19 to her participation in a ‘Family Day’ in 2016 that demonstrated against LGBTQ parental rights. Further to this, it was exposed that a photograph used by the Fratelli d’Italia as part of their campaign against LGBTQ parental rights of a gay Canadian couple with their new-born child, was used without consent. The couple won the legal battle, and the party was ordered to pay damages to the victims, but the scandal makes the party’s political agenda clear. Nonetheless, despite the controversy and various accusations against Meloni, she holds 7th place on the Forbes ‘Most Powerful Women’ list of 2022, an accolade that clearly demonstrates her international influence. The contrast within Meloni’s public and political image is somewhat bittersweet, as she makes a step forward in being Italy’s first female Prime Minister but can’t seem to avoid scandal and criticism for her strong belief system.
The new Italian Prime Minister has entered various legal suits against influential Italian figures over the past few years. For instance, she sued Italian journalist Roberto Saviano after his rant in December 2020 about Meloni’s stance on migration, as well as a recent lawsuit against Brian Molko, a musician who labelled the politician as fascist and racist. Despite being advised to drop the suits, with even more accusations of threatening free speech piling up, Meloni has pursued both, with suspended fines being distributed to the accused: arguably unsurprising as the Prime Minister would be unlikely to lose such a battle. However, the most recent gossip surrounding Meloni is her split with her husband of 10 years, Andrea Giambruno, after a recording surfaced of his inappropriate behaviour and comments to a female colleague off-air at the TV show he works on. He makes several references to having extra-marital affairs and invites the colleague to what he insinuates as a sex party. Meloni took to social media immediately to announce the split, thanking him for the happy years and for giving her their daughter, aged 7, while Giambruno continues to work on the show behind the scenes. Perhaps, for those closely observing her as a political figure in Italy, this was an opportunity for Meloni to show her human side, taking to Twitter (X) to address the matter swiftly before rumours spiralled out of control. Of course, her plans for divorce do not coincide with her supposedly adamant Catholicism, a trait which she often repeats as part of her identity as Italy’s new Prime Minister, leaving her open to criticism as she hypocritically condemns other acts on the grounds of her religion.
Overall, it has been a very eventful year for Meloni, however, despite being somewhat unpopular due to her fascist connections and strong opinions, she will remain in office for most likely another few years, unless another snap election is called before the end of her term. The public still, even a year after her arrival in power, can’t seem to make up their mind on Meloni; all it takes it to search #GiorgiaMeloni on Twitter (X) to see the extent of the debate within Italy and Europe over her role in contemporary politics. Meanwhile, everyone watches the Prime Minister intently to see if she fulfils her promise to govern in the interest of all Italians, rather than pushing her party’s right-wing values to the forefront.