Italy’s new PM, gov’t sworn in

Rome, Italy | Xinhua |  The new Italian government formed by appointed Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was officially sworn in at the presidential Palace on Saturday.

Meloni had been formally appointed and accepted the mandate on Friday, after being summoned by President Sergio Mattarella at the end of his short round of consultations with all parties’ leaders in parliament.

If Meloni and her cabinet pass confidence vote at the parliament, she will serve as the country’s first female prime minister ever.

Italy held a snap general election on Sept. 25, following the resignation of Mario Draghi as prime minister in July, which put an end to a government of national unity that led the country for some 17 months.

Meloni — the leader of right-wing Brothers of Italy — was asked to form the new government after her party won 26 percent of votes in the recent polls, ending up as the most voted force.

She had run the campaign with her two coalition allies, the center-right Forza Italia party of former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and the anti-immigrant and Eurosceptic League led by Matteo Salvini, both of which gained a little over 8 percent of the votes.

As such, the right-wing coalition marked a clear victory and, with the current mainly first-past-the-post electoral system, was able to secure a solid majority of seats in both the chambers of the Italian parliament.

The swearing ceremony took place at the Quirinal presidential palace on Saturday morning.

Overall, Brothers of Italy named 9 ministers in the cabinet, while League and Forza Italia 5 ministers each. Further 5 cabinet posts will be covered by technocrat figures.

Now, after being officially sworn in, the cabinet will need the confidence of both the Lower House and the Senate in order to enter into force. The voting will take place on two separate days next week.

The new cabinet would count 24 ministers, including some key figures. These include Giancarlo Giorgietti, who would serve as Economy and Finance minister after being Industry minister in the previous cabinet, and Antonio Tajani as next minister of Foreign Affairs and as one of the two deputy prime ministers named by Meloni.

League’s leader Matteo Salvini will serve as minister of Infrastructure, and as deputy prime minister as well. Matteo Piantedosi, a former chief of staff to Salvini, will be the next Interior minister, while Aldolfo Urso and Guido Crosetto — both from Meloni’s Brothers of Italy — would serve as Industry minister and Defence minister, respectively. ■