Italians have voted decisively in favour of a right-wing government led by Giorgia Meloni, the leader of Brothers of Italy. The centre-right alliance of parties together got almost 44 per cent of the popular vote, which, thanks to Italy’s mixed electoral system, has given them a comfortable majority of seats in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.
The centre-left coalition of parties, dominated by the Democratic Party, got 26 per cent of the vote, while the 5-Star Movement got 15.43 per cent and a centrist bloc got 7.79 per cent. The failure of these parties to unite as a bloc undoubtedly paved the way for the right-wing alliance to sweep to victory.
This new Italian coalition government will certainly be the most right-wing in the country’s history. Brothers of Italy has neofascist roots and a very conservative social policy, although Meloni has made it clear that the Italian right has long dissociated itself from fascism. And the League, another member of the alliance, led by Matteo Salvini, is a right-wing Eurosceptic populist party which has taken a hard line on immigration.
The other coalition member, the centre-right Forza Italia, led by Silvio Berlusconi, is the most centrist of the bloc and is a member of the European People’s Party, which is fervently pro-European. Forza Italia now has a pivotal role, and responsibility, to keep the new Italian government firmly committed to European values.
Should Europe be worried about the direction of the new Italian government? Europe should adopt a constructive and open-minded attitude towards the incoming Italian government and judge it on its actions, without compromising on the need of every member state to adhere to the EU’s core values of rule of law and respect for diversity and inclusiveness.
The electoral programme of centre-right alliance promises support for NATO and Ukraine as well as “full adherence to the European integration process”. It has reaffirmed that Italy is “fully part of Europe, the Atlantic alliance and the West”.
This is certainly welcome and one hopes that Italy will remain fully on board in supporting Ukraine, despite Salvini’s and Berlusconi’s past ties to Vladimir Putin.
The centre-right bloc has also called for lower taxes, increased social benefits, a “review” of EU rules on public spending as well as the setting up of EU processing centres outside the bloc for asylum applications – and naval blockades to prevent irregular migration flows.
Some of these proposals could prove controversial in Brussels, as could the prospect of changing the reform plan already agreed with the EU in return for almost €200 billion in post-pandemic funds, which the centre-right has promised.
The new government in Rome will take over at a delicate time in Italy’s history and the country’s economic recovery is dependent to a large extent on it receiving billions in EU funds.
Meloni must avoid confrontation with Brussels while making her case diligently and reassuring her European partners that Italy remains firmly committed to the eurozone. She should also signal that Italy will continue with the economic reforms of the outgoing government led by Mario Draghi.
It is in the interest of both Malta and Italy to remain the best of friends and close EU partners irrespective of who governs in Rome or Valletta. Should Italy adopt more of a hardline approach to migration, this will, no doubt, have an effect on Malta and it is therefore imperative for the two governments to have a structured dialogue with the aim of adopting a sensible, pragmatic and humane approach to the question of migration.