The Italians “say, we tried everything, it didn’t work, we’ll try with her”, estimates Thursday, September 22 on franceinfo Ludmila Acone historian, specialist in Italy and associate researcher at the University of Paris 1, about the far-right legislative candidate Giorgia Meloni. The one who hopes to succeed Mario Draghi as President of the Italian Council is in a very favorable position in the polls for September 25, election day.
>>> Italy: who is Giorgia Meloni, the favorite far-right candidate for the legislative elections?
The “terrible crisis energy has caused electricity bill scores to become so unmanageable that Italians are truly in total disarray”, she analyzed. Ludmila Acone describes Giorgia Meloni’s party, Fratelli d’Italia, as “post-fascist”. She believes that “his position on abortion, on the question of gender and homosexuals and his alliances with Orban and with Vox in Spain really raise questions”.
franceinfo: How do you explain its success?
Ludmila Acone: Italian society has been in economic, social and political crisis for several years now. There is a very marked disaffection of citizens for politics, especially since 2018 and even before. And this party of Giorgia Meloni is the only one that has not been in power at the national level. He is the only one who also did not participate in Draghi’s national unity coalition. She was never involved in power compromises. And so, citizens often say: we tried everything, it didn’t work. We will try with her.
The far right soon to power in Italy? ➡️ “All those who have carried anti-fascist and anti-Mussolinian values have implemented a social policy that is not well perceived by citizens. Question number 1 is how I am going to pay my bills”, says Ludmila Acone . pic.twitter.com/4uLlsaTSVg
— franceinfo (@franceinfo) September 22, 2022
Could the level of abstention, which is likely to be very high, reshuffle the cards?
Yes absolutely, because the disarray of the Italians is total. The rush of these eleons, on the other hand, hampered all normal practices of negotiation, formation, coalitions and lists. It was done so hastily that the citizens were taken by surprise. Everyone was taken by surprise. We didn’t have time to argue, to discuss, to really think. Then came this terrible economic, energy crisis which made the notes of the electricity bills become so impossible to face that the Italians were really in disarray.
She may have smoothed her image a little and smoothed her speech a little, but these last statements, particularly on abortion, raise questions and were actually at the origin of a demonstration against her participation in a meeting in Palermo, where there were some clashes. His position on abortion, on the question of gender and homosexuals, and his alliances with Viktor Orban in Hungary and with the Vox party in Spain really raise questions.
She is still close to NATO and rather critical of Vladimir Putin. Is this reassuring for the European Union?
Giorgia Meloni and his party have accustomed us in recent months and even in the last three years to quite significant changes in discourse. These delays and these hesitations leave everything open. We know that there are constants in his party, in its history, which is clearly a post-fascist party. Whatever his latest statements, there are still constants. There is nevertheless someone in his political party who is very, very frankly anti-abortion, who is running on his list, who has stated very clearly that the law on abortion must be reviewed. Some, even very knowledgeable commentators, argue that this cannot be disputed. But we thought the same thing in the United States…