British daily the Times on Wednesday
hailed the "common sense" of Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni and
said her domestic popularity was steadily above that of other
Italian leaders while her international credibility had been
boosted by her firm stance in support of Ukraine.
In a piece by Rome correspondent Tom Kington titled "Italy
sweetens to its honeymoon prime minister", the Times said
"Giorgia Meloni's nous has surprised critics and made her the
country's most popular politician".
It said the 46-year-old Roman had been "billed by opponents
before her election last September as an unpredictable far-right
renegade" but stressed that "few had predicted she would stay
solid on Ukraine, pass a prudent budget and tone down the
Brussels bashing that defined her career before she took power."
Kington also noted that "Her behaviour in office has confused
those for whom her fascist roots (her party, Brothers of Italy,
evolved from Italy's post-war fascist MSI party) are the be all
and end all."
But he added: "the jury is still out. Last week Meloni honoured
the victims of a 1944 massacre in Nazi-occupied Rome. She
recalled 335 "innocent Italians slaughtered simply because they
were Italian", prompting accusations she was glossing over how
the victims were anti-fascists picked out with the help of
Italian fascists.
The Times corespondent also said that there was trouble in store
for Italy's first woman premier: "Meloni's big problems are
brewing outside Italy, starting in increasingly unstable and
autocratic Tunisia, where by her estimate 900,000 people may try
to set sail for Italy if the country does not get a quick World
Bank bailout. Italy has lost most of its influence in Libya
since the country descended into chaos and became a stepping off
point for thousands of migrants. Meloni's nightmare is that
Tunisia is next.
"Her demands that Europe redistributes migrants arriving in
Italy — 27,000 this year so far — face opposition. Leaders such
as Mark Rutte of the Netherlands say Italy has been letting
migrants slip into northern Europe for years. Meloni will not
get much sympathy from her two close allies in Europe, Hungary
and Poland, which outdo her for anti-migrant rhetoric."
But all in all, Kington said, Meloni's performance and results
so far have been suprising:
"In a country where post-election honeymoons can be over in the
blink of an eye, Meloni is making hers last. She remains
comfortably Italy's most popular politician, thanks to a
political nous that has surprised detractors. Given what's
ahead, she's going to need it."
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