The Country, Spain
Earthquake in Italy
Italy, one of the founding countries of the European Union, will be governed by a party born in the footsteps of Mussolini’s fascism. Despite Giorgia Meloni’s calculated restraint in recent weeks, Europe is entering uncharted territory for the second time: the first was Brexit and the UK’s exit from the European Union. Never before has a Western European government been led by a neo-fascist-inspired right that blatantly displays its anti-European skepticism and belligerent national-populism.
But the fact that Europe enters an unknown territory does not mean that it cannot foresee control mechanisms, when several deliveries of European funds to the state that is the first recipient are still pending. Italy openly tends to the extreme right, but Europe must strengthen control mechanisms against those who aspire to destabilize the EU itself.
La Vanguardia, Spain
Meloni, Salvini and Berlusconi, united by interest
The winner of the elections is Giorgia Meloni, the leader of the Brothers of Italy. But she alone she cannot rule. The far-right party will need its partners in the coalition, mainly Matteo Salvini’s Lega and Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia.
It is clearly a marriage of convenience, they know they need each other, but the personal relationship between them is not good. Meloni and Salvini are allies and rivals, they compete for the right-wing vote and personally can’t stand each other. Veteran Berlusconi will always look at her with condescension, like that 31-year-old girl he appointed minister of youth. She is now the lesser partner in an alliance she once dominated.
They did not make things easy for her in this campaign: while Meloni was trying to convince Europe that it will not be Moscow’s gateway to Italy, Salvini, a longtime admirer of Putin, called for the withdrawal of sanctions on Russia. Berlusconi, who used to present the Russian president as his “little brother”, missed a justification for Putin’s invasion of Ukraine who, according to him, was “pushed” by his ministers to replace the Zelenskii government with “respectable people”. It is to be expected, therefore, that there will be some discrepancies between them, even if in the end they have always proved to be very practical people.
The Wall Street Journal, Stati Uniti
The moment of truth for the Italian right
The Italians went to the polls to elect a new government and the big winner will be a right-wing coalition led by Giorgia Meloni. You might be wondering what is different than in recent years.
Meloni was too shy in her reluctance to distance herself completely from her party’s fascist legacy. But it is also not clear how much she could change Italian politics under her control. On the economy side, a conventional right-wing populist program (for Italy) is to be expected that will focus on targeted tax cuts and welfare aid rather than big bang reforms such as the new conservative leader. is trying in the UK.
The powerful Europeans are concerned that the foundations will be laid for a new conflict between Rome and the European Union over budgetary rules. This is a legitimate concern, given Italy’s public debt close to 150 percent of GDP and no plans to stimulate economic growth. But the EU has also given up the leverage it could have used, protecting Rome from market judgments: the large-scale purchases of Italian bonds by the European Central Bank have limited the spread between German and Italian bonds.
As far as foreign policy is concerned, Meloni and his conservative allies are no more and no less pro-Ukrainian than any other Italian politician regarding the invasion of Ukraine. And she seems to feel bound by a consensus among voters to support sanctions against Moscow.
Meloni followed the lead of other Italian conservatives by promising a crackdown on illegal immigration, perhaps including a naval blockade of Libya. The plan sounds far-fetched, but Italy is at the forefront of a migratory wave. If anyone in Brussels had better ideas for keeping the situation under control, the Italians would probably be all ears.
In short, there seems to be a lot of continuity. The key difference is that conservatives are finally allowed to lead the government. In 2018 a right-wing coalition led by Matteo Salvini had emerged victorious but Salvini was forced into an uncomfortable coalition with the 5-star Movement. Italian voters have never had a chance to test the courage of right-wing politicians. Now they may finally have the conservative government they seemed to want four years ago. And find out if it works.
Financial Times, United Kingdom
The victory of the right portends risks, but no slip into extremism
It is the first Italian election in which a party with neo-fascist roots, Fratelli d’Italia, emerged as the strongest political force, both on the right and in the country as a whole.
Yet Giorgia Meloni achieved her triumph with a nationalist and conservative program that owes much more to the formulas that brought Silvio Berlusconi’s success than to those of the Italian Social Movement, the neo-fascist party from which the Brothers of Italy descended.
Mario Draghi’s international fame has amplified the voice of Italy at the tables of NATO and the EU. The new government will fight for the same respect. Meloni has positioned herself as a firm supporter of the West’s stance against Russian aggression in Ukraine. And her electoral program has also omitted controversial proposals once embraced by the party, such as affirming the primacy of national law over that of the Union.
The bigger question is whether the new government will have the skills and determination to continue the economic and administrative reforms initiated by Draghi. These are a precondition for the release of European funds. The incentive to maintain the reform effort is clear. But no less obvious is the possibility that right-wing parties – which often do not think alike on economic issues – will sink into internal quarrels that will prevent the necessary reforms.
The Guardian, United Kingdom
Internal rivalry could threaten the stability of a coalition led by Meloni
Giorgia Meloni has spent thirty years fighting to reach the top of Italian politics. But despite her political prowess, at 45 and with a strong will and determination that made her compare to Margaret Thatcher, she has limited government experience.
It will have to lead Italy in one of its most delicate periods, facing mammoth challenges from the energy crisis to galloping inflation to a possible recession and a winter wave of Covid-19. His most immediate challenge, however, will be putting together an executive who is fit enough to rule and strong enough to last. And find suitable figures within his Brothers of Italy party, which has neo-fascist origins, to hold ministerial positions.
Another threat to possible government stability could come from within his coalition. Part of Meloni’s appeal to voters has been her ability to stand up to two men, but maintaining unity will be a near-impossible job in the coming months.
Le Monde, France
Giorgia Meloni and her post-fascist Brothers of Italy party obtain a resounding success
Many more journalists than activists waited for Giorgia Meloni in the lounges of the Roman hotel she had chosen as the venue on the evening of the elections. And it was in the middle of the night, at half past two in the morning, that the leader of Fratelli d’Italia appeared all smiles behind a lectern, on the notes of the summer 1975 hit, But the sky is getting bluer, by Rino Gaetano, who accompanied her throughout her election campaign. The song does not lie: blue has been the traditional color of the right-wing alliance since its inception in 1994. And unquestionably Italy, at the end of this vote, is much bluer than before.
This result constitutes a disavowal for Matteo Salvini. After bringing the League up by changing the original line, regionalist and autonomist, with an anti-immigrant and anti-euro position, the Lega leader discredited himself with his own excesses, and praising Putin suddenly became more than embarrassing. He contributed to “normalize” Giorgia Meloni, who, despite the origins of her party, appeared to be more coherent and almost moderate by comparison. After such a defeat, will Salvini be able to keep the leadership of the League? It is not at all sure and a change of course at the head of the party would be full of threats for Giorgia Meloni. In fact, he risks finding himself in front of a new coalition partner, with whom he will have no choice but to seek a compromise.
This is the paradox of the situation in which the Brothers of Italy find themselves at the end of these elections: comforted by the victory, but weakened by the setbacks of its allies.
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