Italy’s Meloni, and Her Rightist Coalition, in Strong Position Ahead of Elections Next Year, Survey Finds

As Italy heads toward general elections in 2027, Benjamin Franklin comes to mind.Indeed, if Giorgia Meloni were asked to characterize her tenure — What have you got, Madame Prime Minister? — one can easily surmise her response: Stability, if you can keep it.In an era where the governments of Great Britain, France, and Germany have wobbled, backpedaled, dissolved, or fallen, Italy under Signora Meloni is the soul of stability.Not only has the Magic Boot’s first female prime minister exceeded all expectations, but she has become the European Union’s most influential leader, restoring her nation’s preeminence on the global stage.And though Signora Meloni’s allegiance to Western solidarity is a paramount plank of her foreign policy, she is neither a sycophant nor a lackey of any American president, be it Trump or Biden.Yet the Italian premier’s conservative coalition faces numerous challenges: the press, the left, a world in tumult and an electoral threat from the far right.According to the latest SWG Political Poll of Italians’ voting intentions, published on July 27, Signora Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia party leads nationally with 27 percent, followed by Elly Schlein’s Partito Democratico at 20.9 percent. Antonio Tajani’s Forza Italia follows at 7.6 percent, while Matteo Salvini’s Lega ranks at 5.7 percent.The sum of the three parties comprising the government coalition, excluding Roberto Vannacci’s Futuro Nazionale, with 6.9 percent, amounts to 40.3 percent.Nothing is etched in stone, though. Indeed, according to Il Tempo, “the electoral race is constantly open and any variation will serve the various sides to change and stabilize their political strategy.”Even as Signora Meloni grapples with the volatility of events in the third decade of the 21st century, she is crafting a response that dovetails the national interest — her primary concern — with the exigencies of a political campaign.Though Ms. Schlein does not openly embrace Antonio Gramsci’s Marxist theories of establishing cultural hegemony or mobilizing the proletariat at the grassroots, the leader of the Partito Democratico cloaks her far-left rhetoric in progressive social democratic and feminist verbiage — not unlike Mayor Zohran Mamdani.A communist theoretician, Salvatore Cannavò, maintains that the Italian left has been insufficiently militant in its dealings with the sovereigntist (read neo-fascist) right, chiding Ms. Schlein for failing to advance the class struggle.Still, Ms. Schlein never misses an opportunity to depict the governing coalition as an authoritarian enemy of civil liberties, freedom and the masses.However, Italy’s premier will not let such sotto voce Marxism stand. Ansa reports that Signora Meloni excoriated Ms. Schlein and other opposition figures for suggesting the government was behind a bomb attack last year on the home of an investigative reporter for state broadcaster Rai, Sigfrido Ranucci. “For months Elly Schlein and other figures on the left constructed a narrative made up of allusions and insinuations,” Signora Meloni asserted. “Words carry weight. So do insinuations.” Signora Meloni then deftly framed the left’s mendacity as a threat to the Republic and its democratic values: “And those who chose to cast a shadow on the government and on Italy — including before an international audience — should not deny the evidence today. They should simply apologize.”In an international climate riven by wars in Ukraine and Iran, Signora Meloni has presided over a fiscally responsible Italian economy, significantly lowering unemployment while introducing much needed electoral and market reforms.And her migration policy innovations have become central to European unity and the continent’s cultural heritage. Moreover, she has sounded the alarm on the rise of jihadist terrorism.While Schlein, Conte, Landini & Co. continue to search for a unifying theme to their soggy political pudding — be it thwarting the Ponte sullo Stretto or incessantly calling for Signora Meloni’s resignation — Italy’s premier is laying the groundwork for an increasingly prosperous polity of critical importance to the global community.Unlike death and taxes, Signora Meloni’s reelection is by no means certain. Global events, the Vannacci factor or some new plague could emerge to unseat her. Never, though, underestimate a woman named Giorgia.

Italy’s Meloni, and Her Rightist Coalition, in Strong Position Ahead of Elections Next Year, Survey Finds

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