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Georgia Meloni’s nationalist Brothers of Italy party won the Italian parliamentary election on Sunday, putting the 45-year-old on the path to becoming the country’s first female prime minister. Ms Meloni has been a vocal opponent of French President Emmanuel Macron and hit out at France’s policies in Africa while addressing supporters in an unearthed video from 2018.
In one instance, Ms Meloni told the rally: “Disgusting is France that continues to exploit Africa by printing money to 14 African countries, charging them mint fees, and by children labour in the mines and by extracting raw material, as is happening in Niger.
“Where Frances extracts 30 percent of the uranium it needs to run its nuclear reactors, while 90 percent of Niger’s population lives without electricity.
“Do not come to teach us lessons, Macron, the Africans are abandoning their continent because of you.
“The solution is not to transfer Africans to Europe, but liberate Africa from some Europeans.
“We will not accept lessons from you, is that clear?”
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said he hoped Giorgia Meloni, who is set to become Italy’s first woman prime minister, will continue the reforms started by Mario Draghi, adding he was not concerned over the stability of the eurozone.
“We will judge it on its actions,” Le Maire told France Inter radio, commenting on the new Italian government.
Meanwhile, Ms Meloni has pledged her full support for Kyiv after receiving congratulations from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for her election victory.
By contrast, Meloni’s two political allies, the League and Forza Italia, which were both in Draghi’s coalition, have been much more ambivalent, reflecting their historically close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Underscoring the depth of those ties, Forza Italia leader Silvio Berlusconi said last week that Putin had been “pushed” into invading Ukraine and had wanted to put “decent people” in charge of Kyiv.
Meloni also hailed on Wednesday “the heroic uprising of Iranian women” following the death of a young woman in police custody.
Protests have broken out across Iran after Mahsa Amini, 22, died in custody following her arrest on September 13 in Tehran for “unsuitable attire” by the morality police who enforce the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code.
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