Far-Right Nationalist Giorgia Meloni Elected As Italy’s First Female Prime Minister Transcript

Speaker 1: (00:00)
Tonight, Italy is preparing for its first ever female prime minister, and its first leader from the far-right since the Second World War. Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party winning the most votes in this weekend’s election. Now she’s poised to form and lead a right-wing coalition government.

Giorgia Meloni: (00:20)
[foreign language 00:00:20].

Speaker 1: (00:23)
Meloni’s party has ideological roots in Italy’s neofascist movement, a movement that gained traction after dictator Benito Mussolini. And her agenda, drawing criticism. Among her flagship policies, a naval blockade to stop the arrival of immigrants and refugees who she says are bringing crime and poverty to Italy. Opponents have warned she’s a threat to democracy, a charge she strongly denies.

Giorgia Meloni: (00:51)
For days I have been reading articles in the international press about the upcoming elections that will give Italy a new government, in which I am described as a danger to democracy, to Italian, European, and international stability. None of this is true.

Speaker 1: (01:12)
For the leaders of Italy’s center-left, a resounding defeat.

Enrico Letta: (01:17)
[foreign language 00:01:17].

Speaker 1: (01:23)
But after years of political chaos, many Italians are just looking for stability, whether it comes from the left or the right.

Speaker 1: (01:31)
I don’t like her, but she’s what Italians needs, says this voter.

Raf Sanchez: (01:34)
What does it say about modern Italy that 100 years after Mussolini, the far right is doing so well?

Mark Gilbert: (01:41)
They’re doing well because of economics in the first place. Italy has had 30 years of stagnation. In second place I think it has a lot to do with the very high levels of migration in Italy.

Speaker 1: (01:53)
Meloni’s win is the latest in a string of election victories for the hard right across Europe. In Sweden the far right party is now the second largest in Parliament. And in France, ultranationalists won 11 times as many seats as they did five years ago. Maloney has pledged to continue NATO’s policy of supporting Ukraine. But some of her right wing coalition partners, including former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, have made comments sympathetic to Putin.

Speaker 1: (02:19)
A time of uncertainty in Europe, only deepening with the rise of a new far-right leader.

Raf Sanchez: (02:25)
Now, it may be a few weeks before Meloni actually takes power as Italy’s Prime Minister. First, she needs to negotiate with other parties and form a government, but she could be in place in time to meet President Biden and other world leaders at the G20 in November.

Speaker 6: (02:41)
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