Giorgia Meloni becomes Italy's first female PM
Far-right leader Giorgia Meloni was named Italian prime minister Friday, becoming the first woman to head a government in Italy, AFP reported.
Her post-fascist Brothers of Italy party—Eurosceptic and anti-immigration—won September 25 legislative polls but needs outside support to form a government.
Meloni’s appointment is an historic event for the eurozone’s third largest economy and for Brothers of Italy, which has never been in government.
The 45-year-old from Rome will now name her ministers who will be sworn in on Saturday in front of President Sergio Mattarella.
Shortly after she was named, Meloni appointed Giancarlo Giorgetti as economy minister, who served under the previous government of Mario Draghi.
Giorgetti, a former minister of economic development, is considered one of the more moderate, pro-Europe members of Matteo Salvini’s far-right League party.
Her Brothers of Italy party won 26 percent of the vote last month, compared to eight and nine percent respectively for her allies Forza Italia and the far-right League.