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Post-fascist party's Meloni becomes Italy's first woman PM

Saturday, 22 October 2022 8:07 AM [ Last Update: Saturday, 22 October 2022 9:27 AM ]

Giorgia Meloni was sworn-in as Italy's first female prime minister on Tuesday.(Via Getty images)

Far-right leader Giorgia Meloni has been named Italian prime minister, becoming the first woman to head a government in Italy.

Her appointment is a turning point in Italy's history since Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini who inspired and supported the international spread of fascist movements during World War Two.

Meloni was sworn in on Saturday alongside her cabinet team which includes ministers from Forza Italia, led by former premier Silvio Berlusconi, and Matteo Salvini's League.

She is a member of post-fascist Brothers of Italy party which won the September 25 legislative polls and is known for its anti-immigration and anti-EU position.

The party has never been in government. It needed outside support to form a government after winning the election last month in alliance with Forza Italia and anti-immigration League.

However, talks to cobble a government had been overshadowed by disagreements over Meloni's support for Ukraine since the Russian military operation began there.

A recording was leaked in which Italy's former prime minister Berlusconi talks about his warm relations with Moscow and appears to blame the war on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Salvini, her other coalition partner, is a long-time fan of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has criticized Western sanctions on Moscow.

For now, however, Meloni has been firm about her support for Ukraine, in line with the rest of the European Union and the United States.

"I intend to lead a government with a clear and unequivocal foreign policy line," she has said. "Italy is fully, and with its head held high, part of Europe and the Atlantic Alliance."

After days of often tense, behind-the-scenes talks, Meloni unveiled her team on Friday, giving five ministries each to the League and Forza Italia, while reserving nine cabinet posts for her own party.

Technocrats make up the rest of the 24-strong squad, which includes just six women.

Meloni's government, the 12th this century, replaces a national unity administration led by former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi.

It faces a string of daunting challenges, notably a looming recession, rising energy bills and how to present a united front over the Ukraine war.

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