Giorgia Meloni has officially been sworn in as Italy’s new Prime Minister (Picture: Reuters/EPA)
Italy has elected its first ever female Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, whose party has neo-fascist roots.
The 45-year-old has become the country’s first far-right leader since the Second World War.
She took the oath of office to become Italy’s Prime Minister in front of Italian President, Sergio Mattarella, at the nation’s presidential palace today.
Her appointment has been described as a ‘political earthquake’ in European politics.
Her Brothers of Italy party was forged from the legacy of a neo-fascist party formed shortly the war by nostalgists of Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.
In today’s ceremony, Ms Meloni recited the ritual oath of office, pledging to be faithful to Italy’s post-war republic and to act ‘in the exclusive interests of the nation’.
This pledge was signed by her and counter-signed by President Mattarella, who, in his role as head of state, serves as guarantor of the constitution.
The Brothers of Italy party won the most amount of votes following last month’s election.
Giorgia Meloni’s Brother’s of Italy won the most amount of votes during Italy’s national elections last month (Picture: Reuters)
She was welcomed to the presidential palace by President Sergio Mattarella (Picture: Getty Images)
This year’s election was set against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine – which has fuelled skyrocketing energy bills.
Italian businesses and households are struggling to pay gas and electricity bills, which in some cases are 10 times higher than last year’s.
Ms Meloni formed her new cabinet on Friday evening, which includes a coalition of right-wing League party of Matteo Salvini and the conservative Forza Italia party, headed by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
While the new leader has described the Brothers of Italy party as mainstream conservative, the symbol of the party, its tricolour flame, comes from the post-fascist National Alliance (AN), which was founded in 1946 and dissolved in 2009.
Ms Meloni has been leader of the far-right party since 2014 (Picture: Corbis via Getty Images)
The party, founded in 2012, ideology includes euroskepticism, nativism and anti-immigration viewpoints.
Ms Meloni has been its leader since 2014.
Her new government replaces the one led by Mario Draghi, a former European Central Bank chief, who was appointed by Mr Mattarella in 2021 to lead a pandemic national unity coalition.
At the time, Ms Meloni was the only party leader who refused to join the coalition, insisting the country return to the polls, which they did so on September 25.
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It is the first far-right government in Italy since 1945.