RIGHT MAKES MIGHT

Giorgia Meloni offers a striking contrast to the dreadful parade of male Italian prime ministers. But her policies could lead to an illiberal Europe

- ANITA PRATAP

Italy First. Across the world, variations of Donald Trump's slogan have catapulted new governments into power. In Italy, the slogan achieved not only an electoral triumph, but also two other firsts. Giorgia Meloni is expected to take over as Italy's first woman prime minister, and her party, Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy), will be the first far-right party to come to power in Rome since the days of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.

Meloni's right-wing coalition includes former deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini of the Lega party, and Forza Italia leader and former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi-he of the notorious "bunga bunga" parties with pole-dancing strippers dressed as nuns. This unholy trinity is nationalist, populist, anti-migrant, homophobic, Islamophobic, and Eurosceptic. The European Union is worried that the trio could disrupt the ongoing economic reforms, spread illiberalism, and try to alter the course of the Ukraine war. "Italy could really create problems for the EU," said Stefano Stefanini, Italy's former ambassador to NATO.

Italy is the EU's third-largest economy, its third most populous country, and the second most indebted. Its massive, unsustainable debt revives nightmares of the 2012 Greek debt crisis that nearly wrecked the bloc. To bag the EU's €200 billion Covid-recovery aid, Italy has pledged reforms. The EU calculates that Italy's abject dependence on this aid will prevent Meloni from reneging. Meloni, meanwhile, has chastised the EU for freezing funds to Hungary and Poland for their illiberal, anti-democratic policies. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, has warned that the same "tools" will be used against Italy if it drifts towards illiberalism. "Italy will exit from the core of Europe. The European future will be less strong and less secure with Meloni," said former Italian prime minister Enrico Letta.