Giorgia Meloni gave a statement in 2019 that became known as her signature line: ‘I am Giorgia, I am a woman, I am a mother, I am Italian, I am a Christian, and you can’t take that away from me.’ She was applauded by her audience.
Three years later, the nationalist leader is on track to make history by becoming Italy’s first female prime minister.
Almost 26% of the vote, according to preliminary figures from Sunday’s general election, went to Meloni’s Brothers of Italy (FdI) party, giving an alliance of right-wing parties a commanding majority in both houses of parliament.
Just 4.3% of the vote went to FdI in the most recent general election in 2018.
Meloni will almost definitely receive the go-ahead from the head of state to form a new government and deal with a daunting array of issues, such as rising energy prices and the conflict in Ukraine, as he is the leader of the largest single party.
‘When this evening is finished, we must keep in mind that we are only at the beginning and not the end. From tomorrow, we must demonstrate our worth,’ eEarly on Monday morning, the 45-year-old Meloni spoke with party supporters.
Her rapid climb in fortune is closely related to Brothers of Italy’s evolution, which has brought the group out of the shadows and into the spotlight without ever totally renunciating its post-fascist roots.
Both supporters and detractors agree that Meloni’s steely determination, which helped her win her first local election at age 21 and become Italy’s youngest-ever minister when, at age 31, she was given the youth portfolio in Berlusconi’s 2008 government, is largely to blame for the rise in popularity.
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