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Alessandra Mussolini guest starring on an Italian talent show
Photo: IMAGO/Massimo Insabato / IMAGO/ZUMA Wire
Three years ago, Italy's former head of government, Silvio Berlusconi, moved into the European Parliament, and now he's involved in Italian politics again.
The right-wing conservative politician Antonio Tajani, who is Italy's new foreign minister, is also leaving Brussels with him.
Both were members of the right-wing conservative Forza Italia group of the European People's Party (EPP).
For the two men, two Forza Italia women are now moving up.
And one of the two successors causes a stir: Alessandra Mussolini, granddaughter of the »Duce« Benito Mussolini.
The 59-year-old is now a member of parliament alongside her party colleague Lara Comi.
She followed suit for Tajani, Comi for Berlusconi.
The two gentlemen themselves returned to Italy after the parliamentary elections.
Forza Italia is part of a right-wing alliance under the new Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Mussolini sat in the European Parliament from 2004 to 2008 and from 2014 to 2019.
Before and in between she was a member of the Italian parliament, first for a neo-fascist, extreme right-wing micro-party, most recently for Berlusconi's Forza Italia.
Before her political career, Mussolini worked as a model, actress and singer.
According to the Italian media, Mussolini is said to have once said that she "rather be a fascist than a fag", later she campaigned for a law that made homophobic violence more punishable.
In the Italian parliament, Mussolini also campaigned against sexism - although she herself blasphemed about the "micro-penis" of her colleagues.
Her move up to the EU Parliament has met with a lot of criticism from left-wing MEPs in Brussels.
They accuse EPP parliamentary group leader Manfred Weber (CSU) of a sharp shift to the right in his parliamentary group.
A few weeks ago, Weber had to justify his support for Berlusconi in the Italian election campaign.
He has "European responsibility," said Weber, and wants "that we keep Italy on board."
That's why he supported Forza Italia.
It is quite possible that he will soon have to declare himself a new member of parliament in his group.
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