Italy Swears in Far-Right Giorgia Meloni as Prime Minister
Democracy NowNov 25, 2022
Italy: Meloni Wins Confidence Vote, Condemns Fascism
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Image copyright: La Presse [via Corriere della Sera]
The Facts
On Tuesday, Italy's new Premier Giorgia Meloni won the first of two required confidence votes by a 40-vote margin in the lower Chamber of Deputies as her right-wing coalition garnered 235 votes. On Wednesday, the new government was set to face an election in the Senate where it also holds a substantial majority.
This comes hours after she condemned fascism, stating that Mussolini's racial laws in 1938 were "the worst moment in Italian history," and vowed to fight against racism, antisemitism, and discrimination in her opening address to parliament.
The Spin
Left narrative
Europe must keep a close eye on Italy's far-right, as history has shown that what happens in Rome is soon replicated abroad. And it's hard to find a worse prospect than several Meloni-like leaders coming to power across Europe. Though she acts as if she's a political moderate, Meloni evokes the rhetoric of fascism, is inspired by Hungary's Orbán, and has an ambiguous approach to Putin.
Right narrative
Despite claims from the mainstream left, Meloni isn't a far-right politician — let alone the second coming Mussolini. She embraces mainstream cultural values and common sense, representing a risk only to radical, globalist leftists who have dragged down Italy for years and infiltrated the EU. Meloni can influence the world to decisively reject left-wing orthodoxy.
