Giorgia Meloni Addresses the Italian Parliament for the First Time as Prime Minister
Meloni addressing parliament before being voted in. REUTERS/Remo Casilli
On Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022, Giorgia Meloni gave her first speech as the new Prime Minister of Italy, the first woman to hold the position in the country’s history. Meloni has long been considered to be very conservative, denouncing reproductive rights and rights for those in the LGBT+ community. Many have even regarded Meloni as a fascist, so all eyes were on her as she laid out her agenda that would define the future of Italian politics.
Meloni was much less radical than her previous speeches. She said that she was in no way a fascist, and that rights of women and LGBT+ people would stay in place while she was Prime Minister. Speaking on fascism, Meloni stated, “I have never felt sympathy or closeness to anti-democratic regimes. For no regime, including fascism.”
Left-leaning citizens in Italy and those around the world alike are concerned about Meloni’s potential fascist sympathies, after the last fascist leader, Benito Mussolini, wreaked havoc on both the country’s economy and culture. Mussolini ruled Italy from 1922 until 1943, when he was forced out of power. Mussolini collapsed the Italian government by advocating for Italy’s entry into World War II and susbesquent alliance with Nazi Germany, resulting in the murder of 8,500 Italians in the Holocaust. Facism in Italy did not end until Mussolini’s regime fell and the Italian government had to be completely reformed under a new constitution.
While most people are concerned about the possibility of fascism being reintroduced in Italy, there are modern fascist sympathizers who are excited to see Meloni come to power and implement her conservative policies, as demonstrated by her overwhelming victory in the election to become Prime Minister.
Even though the majority of Meloni’s speech was much more moderate than her past speeches, she did take a hardline stance on one issue facing Italy right now: boats of migrants coming into the country illegally. Taking a pretty usual stance for a conservative, Meloni said she did not want to welcome these immigrants into the country. This stance, however, will have implications with the European Union (EU), which has been trying to figure out how best to deal with the migration. Meloni acknowledged that in her speech, and reiterated her commitment to maintaining harmony with the EU. However, Meloni said in the same speech that she had problems with the way the EU writes its public spending policies. Therefore, it is unclear whether Italy will be able to maintain a long term relationship with its neighbors if the country begins to move in a more conservative direction than the rest of the region.
Migrants disembarking in Sicily, being met with medical aid. (David Lohmueller/AP)
Prime Minister Meloni also expressed concern about both Russia and the economic situation in Europe. On the topic of Russia, Meloni expressed concerns about the energy crisis facing Europe due to the war in Ukraine, saying, “Those who believe it is possible to trade Ukraine's freedom for our peace of mind are wrong. Giving in to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's blackmail on energy would not solve the problem, it would exacerbate it by opening the way to further demands and blackmail.” Meloni stated that the Italian economy will be in a recession in 2023, and she advocated for austerity measures.
Finally, Meloni spoke on wanting to advance infrastructure in Italy, saying that she hopes to keep media networks under public ownership to maintain a free market. In addition, Meloni advocated for updating infrastructure such as highways and airports to make Italy more representative of “Western democracy.”
Meloni has been voted in by one Parliamentary house easily, and is waiting to be sworn in by the other, also consisting of a conservative majority. It remains to be seen whether or not Meloni toned down her agenda to appear more in line with her party and maintain harmony with the European Union, or if she commits to the campaign points she ran on, pushing Italian politics to the far-right extreme.