Italy on course to elect its first woman PM; all you need to know about Georgia Meloni

Georgia Meloni is likely heading to become the first far-right-led government since the second world war in Italy, based on elections held on September 25. If Meloni claims victory in the elections, she will be the first woman to become Italy's Prime Minister. She has promised to "unite the people" in the country if she is elected to govern. 

In her address at Brothers of Italy party headquarters in Rome, Georgia Meloni said, "If we are called to govern this nation, we will do it for everyone, we will do it for all Italians and we will do it with the aim of uniting the people (of this country)," as per AP. 

Meloni further said, "Italy chose us" and stressed that "We will not betray (the country) as we never have." The decision on who forms the government is up to the country's president after consultations with party leaders. Meloni's right-wing alliance includes her Brothers of Italy party, Matteo Salvini's League party and former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia.

The projections based on votes counted from some two-thirds of polling stations have indicated that her Brothers of Italy party is ahead of other parties in elections held on Sunday, 25 September, according to AP. Notably, the formation of the government led by Meloni's Brothers of Italy party could take weeks. Meloni's rise in the Italy elections comes at a time when Europe is facing skyrocketing energy bills and the West's commitment to supporting Ukraine against the Russian offensive.

Georgia Meloni's coalition

Meloni has supported providing military assistance to Ukraine while his coalition partner Matteo Salvini has expressed concerns over the Western sanctions as he claimed that the restrictions might affect Italy's economic interests. Meanwhile, Italy's former PM Silvio Berlusconi has stressed that his inclusion in the coalition will ensure that Italy is firmly anchored in the European Union. Notably, the name of Brothers of Italy is inspired by the opening words of the national anthem.

Georgia Meloni co-founded the Brothers of Italy party in 2012 and the party's agenda was based on Euroskepticism and anti-immigration policies, CNN reported. During the last election in 2018, the Brothers of Italy party received 4.5% of the total votes. Meloni's party was the only major party that did not agree to become part of Italy's national pandemic unity coalition led by Prime Minister Mario Draghi. Mario Draghi's government collapsed after League leader Matteo Salvini and Berlusconi pulled out their support during a confidence vote in July and paved the way for early elections.

Inputs from AP

Image: AP