World

Meloni sworn in as Italy's first female PM

By AAP Newswire

Oct 22, 2022

Sergio Mattarella and Giorgia Meloni — Italy's Giorgia Meloni has been sworn in as the country's first female prime minister. -AP

Far-right politician Giorgia Meloni has been sworn in as Italy's new prime minister, becoming the first woman in the country's history to hold the post.

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Meloni, head of the nationalist Brothers of Italy, led an alliance of conservative parties to victory at a September 25 election and will take charge of the country's most right-wing government since World War II.

The new government is being formally sworn in on Saturday morning, after which it will face confidence votes in both houses of parliament next week.

Meloni heads a coalition including Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia and Matteo Salvini's League.

Italy's 68th government since 1946 faces daunting challenges, including a looming recession, rising energy bills and how to present a united front over the Ukraine war.

It will replace a national unity government led by former European Central Bank head Mario Draghi, who attended a European Union summit in Brussels on Friday in one of his last acts as prime minister.

Although the process of putting together a new administration has been rapid by Italian standards, it has exposed tensions in the coalition, with Berlusconi repeatedly appearing to try to undermine Meloni's authority.

With AP