Who is the real Giorgia Meloni? Favorite to become Italy's new prime minister, she has sent shivers down the spines of some of the press and European (left-wing) leaders.
Born in Rome in 1977, Meloni is expected to be the first woman to hold the position of prime minister of Italy if, as expected, it is victorious in the anticipated general elections this Sunday (25), with the right-wing coalition led by the party brothers from Italy.
A Sunday that promises to be historic: it could mean the return of the extreme right to the leadership of the country, 77 years later – since the fall of Benito Mussolini, at the end of World War II.
But after all, how did Italy (and Meloni) get here?
Her coming to power is the fault of the Italian political class itself.
With a hint of political betrayal, alliances on the right and her meteoric rise, the future Prime Minister of Italy leads the preferences of Italians, with around 25% in the latest polls, carried out on September 9th (in Italy, it is prohibited to carry out this type of survey in the two weeks leading up to the elections).
Italians will elect a new Government, following the resignation of the outgoing Prime Minister, Mário Draghi, on July 21, due to the abandonment of one of the parties in the government coalition, the 5 Star Movement.
“God, Country and Family”
Under the motto “Italy First”, the leader of Brothers of Italy has clear positions on thorny issues. Fight fiercely against clandestine immigration and refugees, rejects the Lobbie LGBT, defends the “values of the natural family”, as well as defending the weakening of European authority over Italy’s national sovereignty.
Meloni and his League allies (from Matteo Salvini) strongly criticize Brussels bureaucrats, accusing them of being “guided by international financial interests”.
In 2019, Meloni defined herself as a “woman, mother, Italian and Christian”.
She has already praised Mussolini, but guarantees that the Italian right has long left fascism behind, defining itself as “post-fascist.
Italian citizenship
Could Meloni be a threat to those seeking Italian citizenship?
The answer is no. She and Salvini prefer the law as it exists today, with the right to blood (ius sanguinis) guaranteed.
In May 2019, Giorgia wrote on her Twitter account: “Italian citizenship cannot under any circumstances be automatic: it must be earned and granted only to those who love and respect our culture and identity.”
She referred to the Ius Soli, determined by place of birth, flag defended by the Democratic party, his main opponent.
And in 2022, together with Salvini, she helped overturn the vote for jus scholae, which provided that citizenship would be granted at the end of a course in Italy.
The two parties presented 651 requests to modify the text and the bill was buried.
During this year's campaign, in September, Meloni recognized the importance of the Italian community around the world, in a video made available on his social media. “While the left prioritizes ius soli, we defend the principle of ius sanguinis“, said the candidate.
