Italy’s far-right leader Giorgia Meloni, who is leading in opinion polls ahead of Sept. 25 parliamentary elections, insists she won’t be a danger to democracy if she becomes premier, contending that the Italian political right has “unambiguously” condemned the legacy of fascism.
She also dismissed as “nonsense” concerns that if her Brothers of Italy party comes to power, making her Italy’s first far-right premier, there would be a risk of an “anti-democratic drift” or “authoritarian turn,” or that the country might exit the group of European nations using the euro currency.
Meloni made the comments in a message recorded in English, French and Spanish, and distributed yesterday by her campaign.
Meloni has railed against European Union bureaucracy for years as infringing on national sovereignty. But she blasted Wednesday as an “absurd narrative” that a center-right government — with her campaign allies League leader Matteo Salvini and former Premier Silvio Berlusconi — would jeopardize implementation of reforms needed to receive all of the 200 billion euros (dollars) earmarked for Italy in EU pandemic recovery funds.
