Under Meloni’s leadership, the far-right party Fratelli d’Italia (FDI, Brothers of Italy) (23% vs. 25% of the vote in recent polls) has become the strongest link in the centre-right country, a place where it has taken over from the League, led by Matteo Salvini. and therefore requires the leadership of a coalition government of three, if there is an agreement with other right-wing parties.
Silvio Berlusconi, leader of Forza Italia (right-wing liberals, 7% to 10% of the vote) and one of the partners in a possible coalition, says he fears Meloni and his extreme positions will alienate voters from his party.
This argument was also used by Meloni’s most dangerous rival, Enrico Letta, leader of the Italian Democratic Party (DP, centre-left, with 22% to 23% voting intentions), who warned that the options in the September 25 elections would be almost equal. certainly between two blocs: one progressive and centrist – where it belongs – and the other right-wing populist.
“Either the European Community wins, [programa] Next generation EU, from Erasmus and hope, or Europe wins [do Presidente húngaro, Viktor] Hour, do [partido espanhol] Vox yes [líder da extrema-direita francesa] Marine Le Pen.
To soften this image of himself and the party, Giorgia Meloni, 45, in the midst of preparations for the next election campaign, according to the Italian press, instructed the FdI’s regional offices to warn members to avoid harsher statements. , mention fascist ideology, and not publicly perform the “Roman salute,” which consists of extending the right hand in a gesture similar to the Nazi salute.
The journalist, MP and former MEP, founder and president of the Brothers of Italy organization tried to create a more respectable image for himself in the European Community.
In Brussels, when he was chairman of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), Meloni became the face of the European far right abroad, gaining legitimacy by engaging with EU institutions rather than rejecting EU integration as a whole.
The FDI leader continues to defend radical positions on many issues, such as declaring his opposition – as the Politico newspaper recalled in this week’s analysis – to what it called the “LGBT lobby” and immigration, at an event in support of Spain’s campaign for the far-right party Vox.
But speaking earlier this year at the Conservative Political Action Conference, for example, he was one of the strongest voices calling for action against Russia.
Irmãos da Italia is a member (with eight MEPs) of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) parliamentary group in the European Parliament, which she chaired and now co-chairs with the Poles of Law and Justice (PiS) and which brings together 19 members from 15 countries. , including the Spaniards from Vox.
Earlier this year, ECR Meloni backed MEP centrist Roberta Metsola as leader of the European Parliament, allowing the group to nominate a vice president.
In December, the annual Atreju festival, an event for right-wing Italian youth founded by Meloni in 1998, invited ministers and European Commissioner Margaritis Schinas as speakers.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi resigned last Thursday after losing support from the M5S, Força Italia and the League, leading to early elections.
Draghi has led the National Unity Coalition for the past 17 months since February 2021, supported by virtually every party except FDI, which is now leading the vote.