Giorgia Meloni was sworn in as Italy’s first woman prime minister yesterday alongside her cabinet team.
Standing beneath the crystal chandeliers of a frescoed chamber in the presidential palace, Meloni took her oath of office as her six-year-old daughter looked on.
Head of the nationalist Brothers of Italy, Meloni swept to victory in an election last month as part of a coalition that included Forza Italia, led by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, and Matteo Salvini’s anti-immigrant League.
Her government, the 12th this century, replaces a national unity administration piloted by former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi, who was at the forefront of European Union efforts to sanction Russia after it invaded Ukraine in February.
While Meloni has pledged support for Ukraine, Berlusconi has repeatedly undercut her, earlier this week blaming Kyiv for the war and revealing he had exchanged gifts and “sweet letters” with his old friend, Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Meloni’s party has neo-fascist roots, but she sought to project a moderate image during the election campaign, dropping previous anti-EU rhetoric and pledging to keep Italy at the heart of European and Western institutions.
European Commission leaders in Brussels sent her messages of congratulations yesterday.
“I count on and look forward to constructive co-operation with the new government on the challenges we face together,” Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on Twitter.
Meloni also received plaudits from Europe’s nationalist conservatives, who hope her government will prove a powerful ally in their regular battles with Brussels.
“Congratulations Giorgia Meloni on the formation of your government! Big day for the European Right!” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban wrote on Twitter.
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