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Italy before the election: Giorgia Meloni, the neo

2022-09-24T13:51:52.333Z


Their racist and sexist positions were disturbing. Now Giorgia Meloni is moderate - and has the best chance of governing Italy. Observations by SPIEGEL correspondent Frank Hornig.


AreaRead the video transcript expand here

YouTube/Giorgia Meloni:


»Yes to the natural family, no to the LGBT lobby, yes to sexual identity, no to gender ideology, yes to the culture of life.

No to death, yes to women, yes to the universality of the cross, no to Islamist violence, yes to safe borders, no to mass immigration.« (in this case in Spanish)

This is how Giorgia Meloni presents herself on her party's YouTube channel.

The woman who likes to answer problems simply with yes or no could soon rule Italy.

Frank Hornig, DER SPIEGEL


»One of the main reasons for her success is actually that she hasn't done anything in the last ten years.

She did not rule.

She sat in the opposition and basically couldn't make any big mistakes because of that.

If you talk to people on the street here in Italy, including at election campaign events, then a lot of people will say so.

She didn't screw up.

We'll try that with her now and if it doesn't work, then we'll just take someone else.«

Meloni polarizes.

The 45-year-old party leader is considered a neo-fascist.

Her party - the Fratelli d'Italia - the brothers of Italy, is also deeply rooted in fascism.

Meloni has been leading the polls for weeks.

If she wins the election, she can form a right-wing coalition with her allies Matteo Salvini from the right-wing populist party Lega Nord and Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia.

Frank Hornig, DER SPIEGEL


»The question is how strong is this alliance?

What is the bond between these three?

And there you can have some doubts and ask yourself questions.

Until recently, Matteo Salvini was the undisputed leader of the right-wing camp.

Meloni was in the second or third row.

Before Salvini, Berlusconi was the big right who everyone cheered for.

That means there's an incredible amount of rivalry.

Whether Berlusconi and Salvini will be willing to support Meloni as prime minister as well, or whether they'd rather say: let's take a more neutral figure.

You just can't say that today.«

Meloni's success comes as a surprise.

After Mario Draghi announced his resignation in July, the parties launched a lightning campaign.

Meloni takes the chance.


The issues she addresses are those that matter to many right now.

Migration, Italy's position in the EU, debt, unemployment.

In addition, she polarizes with her appearances against abortion or against the rights of the LGBTQ community.

Frank Hornig, DER SPIEGEL


»What she tells are often, well, sometimes stories from everyday life, examples.

And basically the story is always actually brave Italians, for whom life is made difficult by Europe, by the financial markets, by Berlin, by Paris, by the left in Italy, who constantly throw bludgeons in their legs, so to speak.

That's actually the basic melody, which she sings neutrally at times, but then sometimes the hatred breaks out of her and this aggressiveness, then, then she starts screaming and yelling and tries to cheer people up a bit bring to."

Meloni's political career began radically.

At the age of 15 she joined the fascist party Movimento Sociale Italiano - the direct successor party to Mussolini.

After renaming and splitting, the former waitress and babysitter eventually founded her current party, the Fratelli d'Italia.

The party's controversial logo features a flame in the color of Italy.

A fascist symbol, representative of the flame on Mussolini's grave.

The neo-fascist core of the party of origin has remained.

Frank Hornig, DER SPIEGEL


»That also has to do with the fact that party members, for example, only built a monument for Rodolfo Graziani ten years ago.

A mausoleum.

Graziani was one of the worst war criminals, one of the worst fascists in Italy.

He built 16 concentration camps in North Africa.

A genocide is at his own risk.

He must be responsible for the deaths of at least 50,000 people.

It was built by Fratelli d'Italia party members, including the Fratelli d'Italia faction leader, who is also married to Meloni's sister.

So this heritage is really very close to.«

Despite the fundamental conflict between left and right, the forecasts for turnout are low.

Frank Hornig, DER SPIEGEL


»The proportion of those who are undecided, those who don't want to vote or who simply don't know who they will ultimately choose.

This proportion has not fallen, as is usually the case just before the election, but has risen again to 42%.

In this respect, the atmosphere here is more of a bored, indifferent, slightly annoyed waiting.«

Meloni also attacks the EU.

She demands reforms and wants to focus more on Italy's interests.

She could find a possible ally in Victor Orbán, with whom she has already become close.

Italy votes on Sunday.

If Meloni wins, she could become the successor to the incumbent Prime Minister Mario Draghi – and become the first woman to take up the post of head of government.

A fascist government in traditionally anti-fascist Italy - that would be a clear shift to the right within the EU.

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2022-09-24

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