“Giorgia Meloni is the novelty”: the leader of Fratelli d’Italia at the gates of power

A few days before the legislative elections in Italy, Giorgia Meloni, the leader of the far-right Fratelli d’Italia party, seems on the way to becoming the first president of the Council in the country’s history. Sunday September 11, she was in a meeting in Milan, stronghold of her former ally and rival Matteo Salvini. Onlookers stroll, couples feast on Italian ice cream, tourists seek to take the best photo of the imposing cathedral… This September 11 could look like a Sunday like another Duomo square, in Milan, in the north of the ‘Italy. If it is only in the center, a crowd waving flags is gathered around a speaker with a pronounced Roman accent. It is Giorgia Meloni, the leader of the Fratelli d’Italia party, a post- fascist born in 2012 and which has managed to impose itself in a few years as the main opposition party in the political landscape. At 45, the tall, vindictive-looking blonde appears to be the favorite in the next legislative elections, on September 25, organized after the fall of Prime Minister Mario Draghi at the end of July. According to the latest polls, the party is credited with 20% of the vote nationally, five times more than in the last legislative elections in 2018, but above all well above the other right-wing candidates, the eternal Matteo Salvini and Silvio Berlusconi. “She’s the only one we haven’t tried yet – which means she’s the only one who hasn’t failed yet,” Francesco Trevisi, a pensioner from Lecce in southern Italy, simply explains. italy, as he finishes his walk. Milan, stronghold of Salvini and BerlusconiWhether it was because of the crushing heat, a mixed election campaign or the Formula 1 Grand Prix which was taking place a few kilometers away, in Monza, Giorgia Meloni did not succeeded in “filling the piazza Duomo”, as she had promised. But the presence of a few thousand of his supporters is enough to highlight the new balance of power within the Italian right. Traditionally, Milan, the economic engine of the country, is the stronghold of the great pundits Silvio Berlusconi and Matteo Salvini. It was here that the former built his real estate, advertising and television empires, where he owned a football club and where he launched his political career. It is also here that the second, leader of the Northern League, hoped to create a prosperous and independent capital, far from “Roma Ladrona” (Rome, the thief, editor’s note). During previous election campaigns, the two men had competed in efforts to organize the largest gathering possible at the foot of the Duomo, the third largest cathedral in the world. This year, they had no choice but to give ground to Giorgia Meloni. And it shows in the polls: in 2018, Fratelli d’Italia obtained less than 4% of the vote in the capital of Lombardy. This time, he should win a quarter.Giorgia Meloni, the only opposition figureIn the quicksand of Italian politics, where politicians seem to change their minds, parties or coalitions every two days, Giorgia Meloni enjoys a major advantage: a reputation for constancy and consistency. For good reason, her party was the only one not to join Mario Draghi’s national unity coalition – a formation she described as undemocratic. “Whether we like her or not, she has remained faithful to her word. and refused to engage in alliances against nature”, thus greets Grazia Valerin, a Milanese retiree who stumbled upon the gathering of the candidate. “You can’t say the same for people like Salvini. They claim to be in the opposition today when they were in government,” says his companion, Ruben, an insurance employee. Former voter of the League, he has already decided not to renew his vote at the end of September. “Giorgia Meloni skilfully exploits his position as the main opposition force”, analyzes Maurizio Cotta, professor of political science at the university. of Siena. “She knew how to capitalize on the resentment of part of the population towards the government of Mario Draghi – a policy at first considered competent and efficient, but which also appeared to be harsh and technocratic”. “Salvini’s limits are become too obvious for most voters”, continues the specialist – the popularity of Matteo Salvini has plummeted since his botched takeover in 2019. As for Berlusconi, 85, “he is an exhausted force”. Italy first, then Europe Disillusionment with Matteo Salvini was a recurring theme at the meeting in Milan. “Meloni learned from Salvini’s mistakes,” says Massimo Boscia, a 23-year-old student, who also broke with the politician after his decision to join the government of national unity. candidate Fratteli d’Italia’s economic program, a mix of pro-business tax cuts, protectionism, industrial investment and refusing to respond to the “sterile injunctions of environmentalism.” If Italy has the second highest public debt in the euro zone, the European Union has earmarked more than 200 billion euros of post-pandemic recovery funds for it. An agreement subject to a series of reforms that Giorgia Meloni assures, moreover, that she wants to renegotiate if she is elected. “I say to the European Union: the preferential treatment is over,” she said on Sunday, promising to “start defending Italy’s national interests as all the others are already doing. members of the EU”. Far from gatherings, the candidate had however adopted a more conciliatory tone towards Brussels, notably promising budgetary prudence. During his speech, Giorgia Meloni also attacked once again the center left candidate, Enrico Letta, his main opponent. “The left attacks us all day long because it has nothing else to offer,” she said. And to denounce: “They are trying to create a monster (…) by calling me a fascist”. Accusations that the left went to draw from the origins of the Fratelli d’Italia party. “Giorgia Meloni leads a party whose roots go back to the fascist tradition, in particular through the symbol of the flame”, explains Paolo Berizzi, journalist with the Italian daily La Repubblica, who has been living under police protection for three years after receiving threats from death at the hands of neo-fascist groups. “In her interviews with the foreign press, she tries to be moderate, but when she addresses right-wing crowds at rallies, she shows her true colors,” he adds. “As things stand, this nation is destined to disappear”, warned Giorgia Meloni, Sunday, before adding, faithful to its values: “And The solution is not immigration, as the left would like make you believe it”. A “feminist” victory The candidate likes to describe herself as a “conservative” who defends patriotism and traditional family values. Giorgia Meloni remains, for example, opposed to quotas aimed at strengthening the presence of women in Parliament or on the boards of directors, affirming that they must reach the top by merit, as she did. And if her party has a priority for women, it is only to reverse Italy’s declining birth rate. “Women shouldn’t have to choose between careers and motherhood, like I did when I quit my job to have a baby,” Meloni said. “We have to make sure they can do both.” However, in the assembly, several of his supporters see in his probable imminent victory a step forward for the feminist cause. “A victory for Fratelli d’Italia would be a victory for women,” said Serena, a pharmacist, praising her “tenacity”. Basically, Giorgia Meloni’s program is “about the same as Salvini’s”, concludes Claudio, retired. Nostalgic for the League of yesteryear, he will remain faithful to the party of Matteo Salvini. “Italy tried everyone [à droite, NDLR] Meloni is the novelty”, he explains. “It suits me perfectly. As long as in the end they rule together. “