Giorgia Meloni holds the position of Prime Minister in the Italian government for half a year. She came to power with a conservative political party — the Brothers of Italy — and with the promise of shaking up the European Union, while proclaimed the motto “God, country and family”.
Now, she presents herself as a firm leader, but moderate with her European neighbors.
In just a few weeks of government, Meloni introduced laws to reduce the arrival of immigrants and recently declared a state of immigration emergency.
She has sought to defend traditional family values at all costs and has prohibited municipalities from registering the children of same-sex couples.
In the international context, Meloni unhesitatingly supports Ukraine against the Russian invasion, as well as its allies.
“She moved to the center of the political spectrum very quickly (…) to broaden her audience and go beyond the most radical right-wing electorate,” says Daniele Albertazzi, professor of Political Science at the University of Surrey (United Kingdom).
Yes, there are not even traces of the sovereignist positions that Meloni preached before becoming the first woman leading the government in Italy. Furthermore, the relationship with the European Union continues, otherwise the country would no longer receive subsidies.
Cecilia Sottilotta, professor of Political Science at the University for Foreigners of Perugia, in Italy, also makes a balance these first six months.
The professor says that “Meloni immediately began very attentive communication work and maintained a very discreet and very reassuring profile internationally”.
“So, he tried to reassure his allies, first of all, the United States and NATO. He reaffirmed Italy's commitment to the European Union immediately. In this way, in terms of international politics, he remained well aligned with Draghi (the previous prime minister)”, explains Sottilotta.
Unable to fully fulfill its electoral promises, the government is shifting somewhat towards cultural battles, which, in a way, are free. And they please their electorate.
Cecilia Sottilotta
In these six months, Meloni realized that his main opponents They are not in the opposition. Rather, they are his own allies in the coalition government: Matteo Salvini's League party and Berlusconi's Força Italia.
“Clearly, both Berlusconi and Salvini are not easy allies to deal with. The issue of gender is also very important, that is, the fact that she is a woman matters a lot”, believes the university professor.
“Berlusconi, for a series of reasons, particularly health reasons, is certainly in a moment of weakness. Salvini keeps his place, so to speak. In other words, in both cases, if we also look at the research and the consensus trend, there is no no incentive frankly, for Força Itália or the League to put the strength of the coalition”, explains Sottilotta.
A saving Italian economy grew 3,7% in 2022. The economic winds are then blowing in favor of Meloni, although he faces the challenge of debt: the second largest in Europe, just behind Greece.
Another big challenge is the low birth rate. In Italy, less than seven babies are born for every thousand inhabitants. The government has just promised zero taxes for those who have children, a promise that will be reviewed in at least another six months.
Meloni maintains his high popularity and, according to the latest survey by the YouTrend institute, his party is credited with 28,6% of voting intentions — 2,6% more compared to the 26% obtained in the September elections.
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