Italy’s first female prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, selected her cabinet on Friday, ushering in the nation’s most right-wing administration since World War Two. In a coalition with Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia and Matteo Salvini’s League, Meloni, the leader of the nationalist Brothers of Italy, surged to victory in a recent election.
Her administration, which will be Italy’s 68th since 1946, will take over from a national unity government led by former European Central Bank president Mario Draghi, who on Friday attended a European Union summit in Brussels as one of his final acts as prime minister. She faces significant challenges, including how to present a united front in the face of the turmoil in Ukraine, an anticipated recession, and rising energy prices.
The League party’s Giancarlo Giorgetti, 45, was chosen as Meloni’s finance minister, and Forza Italia’s Antonio Tajani was chosen as her foreign minister. Georgia Meloni gave a list of ministers to the press after meeting with President Sergio Mattarella at his Quirinale headquarters in Rome, according to presidential assistant Ugo Zampetti.
Only six other women were included in the list of ministers that Meloni read out, despite the fact that he has little ministerial experience despite having improved the Brothers of Italy’s fortunes.
A total of nine ministries were granted to Brothers of Italy politicians, five to the League and five to Forza Italia, and five more cabinet positions were offered to technocrats.After being sworn in formally on Saturday morning, the new government will be up for a vote of confidence in both chambers of parliament the following week.