Giorgia Meloni Sworn in as Italy's First Woman PM
Giorgia Meloni has been sworn in as Italy's first female prime minister. On Saturday, Meloni was sworn in by Italian President Sergio Mattarella in a ceremony at the Quirinale Palace in Rome.
On Thursday, Meloni tweeted, "We are ready to give Italy a government which will face the emergencies and the challenges of our time with awareness and competence".
Last month, her Brothers of Italy party received 26 per cent of the vote, while her partners, Forza Italia and the far-right League, each received 8 per cent and 9 per cent.
President Sergio Mattarella is expected to name her after meeting formally with all parties in parliament, as is customary. The 24 ministers appointed by Ms Meloni were sworn in as well. Five of the ministers are technocrats, not representing any party. Six of them are women.
Meloni met with Mattarella on Friday alongside coalition leaders, and she may be asked to form a government as early as today, according to reports.
Meloni's staunch support for Ukraine following the Russian invasion has caused tensions with her two potential coalition partners, who are both seen as being sympathetic to Moscow.
Former Italian prime minister and current Forza Italia leader Silvio Berlusconi was caught on tape discussing his close relationship with the Kremlin and perhaps blaming Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky for the conflict in Ukraine.
Matteo Salvini, who leads the League party and is her other coalition partner, has always backed Russian President Vladimir Putin and opposed Western sanctions against Russia.
Even though Meloni is against the EU, she has always supported Ukraine, like the EU and the US.
She has said that she intends to “to lead a government with a clear and unequivocal foreign policy line". "Italy is fully, and with its head held high, part of Europe and the Atlantic Alliance," she added.
"Anyone who does not agree with this cornerstone will not be able to be part of the government, even at the cost of not forming a government," Meloni has warned.
The 86-year-old Berlusconi has stated that his views on Ukraine "do not deviate from that of the Italian government (and) the European Union"
Meloni's coalition is only holding together because it necessitates a majority in parliament, so these conflicts only add to the worries that they won't be able to keep their togetherness.
Berlusconi's friends say that his comments on the recording, which came from a meeting with lawmakers earlier this week, were taken out of context.
The billionaire media mogul reported a reconciliation with longtime friend, Putin, who he claimed brought him 20 bottles of vodka and a "very sweet letter" for his birthday.
While Berlusconi's Forza Italia party claimed the story was old, the recording also revealed his reservations about Italy arming Ukraine.