–Rightwing PM Replays Berlusconi Script with Run for Strasbourg Seat
By Silvia Marchetti
ROME (MaceNews) – Italy’s premier Giorgia Meloni has announced her candidacy in upcoming European Parliament elections, with the goal of raising support for her rightist party and boosting prospects that Mario Draghi could be named the next head of the European Commission.
At a series of nationwide events, with more scheduled in upcoming weeks in the run-up to EP elections scheduled for 6-9 June, Meloni has been promoting a move which has “baffled and scared” most other European candidates, sources close to her party say.
“Our chief of government is the only EU head of state to run at the upcoming European Parliament elections and she is hell-bent on exploiting the powerful consensus she gained in Italy at the general elections of 2023 that marked her rise to power,” said a member of the chamber of deputies of Meloni’s ruling Brothers of Italy party.
Government sources stress that even though her move is symbolic, it could have a huge impact in the future power politics of the European institutions.
“Were Meloni to actually win a seat at the EP parliament, she would of course eventually have to give it up, for she intends to remain as prime minister …. But her victory would mean that her party will bring a huge amount of votes to a leading majority in the EP to support even further the potential appointment of Mario Draghi as next head of the European Commission, the deputy said.
Meloni’s former fascist party, which sits in the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, has lately seen a rise in support with polls suggesting over 26 percent of Italians will likely vote for her in the EP elections. Meloni is president of the ECR.
Even though former European Central Bank chief and Italian premier Draghi has made no official announcement that he is running to be the next head of the European Commission, he did recently speak in favor of a more resilient and unified European Union, and suggested his willingness to lead it.
Sources close to Meloni say that her “personification” of the next European elections and the fact that she is running would make a huge difference.
“It is extremely effective since a party leader’s name and face are much more recognizable than the 90 percent of unknown Italian MEPs,” said another member of Meloni’s party and government official.
The upcoming vote could be tricky for Italy. It needs to secure a key seat at the European Commission with the upcoming departure of current economic affairs commissioner Paolo Gentiloni, who was elected five years ago in the last European Parliament elections.
“With Gentiloni out of the way, Italy needs a strong leader, and no other person is more suited for this role than Mario Draghi,” said an official from the League party, a government ally.
Meloni told her supporters over the weekend that their votes would boost the “strategic and fundamental” role of the ECR group in Strasbourg.
Strengthening the ECR, which sits to the right of the European People’s Party in the European Parliament and currently holds 68 of its 705 seats, would help “reproduce at the EU level a governing majority of the centre-right like the one we have in Italy,” she said.
However, for Draghi to be fully considered as future EC president, he would need the endorsement of another major European parliament group, the EPP.
Italian opposition forces have expressed disdain at the prospect of Meloni’s running for EP, saying she is reproducing “Berlusconi-style of politics” given the former eight-time prime minister won several times in the EP vote without ever sitting in Strasbourg.
The Democrats have launched the EP candidacy of their new leader, Ellie Schlein, and they argue she is better suited than Meloni for an EP seat thanks to her knowledge of EU institutions.
“Italy needs to get over the personification of politics, particularly at European level, and Meloni is reproducing an old-style scheme which will just be detrimental to this country,” said an opposition Democrat deputy.