'Female Mussolini' Italian Meloni, Likely First Far-Right Female Prime Minister

Exit Polls Suggest Right-Wing Coalition Likely to Secure Majority in Both Houses
Euro Hits Lowest Value in 20 Years Amid Fiscal Spending and Tax Cut Promises

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] Giorgia Meloni, leader of the Italian far-right party Brothers of Italy (FdI), whom the German current affairs weekly Stern described as "the most dangerous woman in Europe," is expected to make new history as Italy's first female prime minister.

According to exit polls from the Italian general election held on the 25th (local time), the right-wing coalition led by FdI is expected to comfortably secure a majority in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. According to the local daily La Stampa, the right-wing coalition composed of FdI, Lega, and Forza Italia (Fi) is expected to secure at least 227 seats in the 400-seat Chamber of Deputies and at least 111 seats in the 200-seat Senate.

FdI is projected to become the largest party in parliament with 22-26% of the vote, surpassing the center-left Democratic Party (PD) which is estimated at 17-21%. In the 2018 general election, FdI recorded only 4.4% of the vote in the Chamber of Deputies, remaining the fifth-largest party, but amid political and economic crises such as the Ukraine war and inflation, it has rapidly risen to become a ruling party.

◆ Far-right Surge = Following the Swedish general election on the 11th, the surge of far-right parties has been reaffirmed. In Sweden, the far-right Sweden Democrats rose to become the second-largest party in parliament, leading the right-wing coalition to victory in the general election.

Since leading the founding of FdI in 2012 and being elected party leader in 2014, Meloni has expanded her support base through a clear far-right stance infused with anti-immigration and conservative Catholic ideology. Like the Sweden Democrats, she advocates strong immigration controls and opposes LGBTQ rights.

Meloni was born in 1977 in Garbatella, southern Rome. Garbatella is a region with many workers and a strong left-wing support base. The British BBC reported that Meloni’s motivation to become a far-right politician may have been driven by a desire for revenge due to her absent father, despite being born in a strongly left-wing area. Meloni’s father, who was left-wing, abandoned the family when she was one year old, and she was raised by her single mother.

Meloni began her political activities at age 15 by joining the youth organization of the Italian Social Movement (MSI). MSI was a party founded in 1946 by followers of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini during World War II. Because of this, Meloni has been labeled the "female Mussolini" as a successor to fascism. However, in her autobiography published last year, "I Am Giorgia," Meloni emphasized that she is not a fascist.

◆ Euro Weakness = Ahead of the Italian general election, on the 23rd, the euro-dollar exchange rate fell to around 96 cents per euro, marking a new 20-year low in the euro’s value against the dollar. Concerns that the Italian right-wing coalition, which promised strong fiscal spending and tax cuts, could highlight Italy’s fiscal crisis if it wins the election influenced the euro’s weakness.

According to Eurostat, the European Union’s statistical office, Italy’s government debt-to-GDP ratio was 133.4% at the end of the first quarter of 2018, just after the last general election, but rose significantly to 152.6% as of the end of the first quarter of this year.

Matteo Salvini, leader of Lega, argued in a Bloomberg interview that the government should provide state subsidies amounting to 30 billion euros (about 42 trillion won) to ease companies’ energy cost burdens.

In response, Meloni expressed opposition, stating that further deficit spending would impose a huge burden on future generations given Italy’s fiscal situation. She said that even with bold fiscal spending, the government would comply with EU fiscal rules and that Italy’s government finances would not collapse.

Meloni also differs from the other two leaders of the right-wing coalition regarding the Ukraine war and sanctions against Russia. Meloni strongly criticizes President Vladimir Putin and advocates strengthening solidarity with NATO and providing weapons support to Ukraine. In contrast, Lega’s Salvini and Forza Italia’s Silvio Berlusconi are both classified as pro-Russian figures.

Because of these differences in stance, there are concerns that the right-wing coalition may not sail smoothly.