Status: 09/26/2022 07:07 a.m
The AfD or the French Rassemblement National – in Europe, right-wing populists and right-wing extremists welcomed the election victory of the right-wing nationalist Meloni. In the EU, politicians now fear an “anti-European government”.
Politicians from the German AfD, the right-wing national Rassemblement National from France and the Polish PiS congratulated Giorgia Meloni on winning the elections in Italy. According to initial projections, the Roman woman and her radical right-wing Fratelli d’Italia were clearly the strongest party in the parliamentary elections and, with a right-wing alliance in the two chambers, also won the absolute majority of seats.
“We’re celebrating with Italy!” Wrote AfD member of parliament Beatrix von Storch on Twitter late Sunday evening. Her party colleague Malte Kaufmann tweeted: “A good day for Italy – a good day for Europe.” Referring to the recent elections in Sweden, in which the right was also successful, von Storch wrote: “Sweden in the north, Italy in the south: left-wing governments are something of the past.”
Common enemy EU
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki wrote on Twitter “Congratulations Giogia Meloni”. French MEP Jordan Bardella from Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National (RN) said the Italians had given European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen “a lesson in humility”. The German politician said last week that her agency had “tools” if Italy, under a right-wing government, failed to comply with EU rules.
“No threat of any kind can stop democracy,” wrote RN Chairman Bardella. “The peoples of Europe lift up their heads and take their fate back into their own hands.”
Rüdiger Kronthaler, ARD Rome: “Initially, Meloni’s strength was the disunity of the left, who could not agree on common candidates. That was what tip the scales.”
Morning magazine, September 26, 2022
worries in Brussels
Leading MEPs, on the other hand, were sobered by the election results. “Meloni will be a prime minister whose political role models are Viktor Orbán and Donald Trump. The election victory of the alliance of right-centre parties in Italy is therefore worrying,” said Katharina Barley (SPD), Vice-President of the EU Parliament “World”. Meloni’s “election tactical lip service to Europe” cannot hide the fact that she poses a threat to constructive coexistence in Europe, said the former German justice minister.
The spokesman for the German Greens in the EU Parliament, Rasmus Andresen, said that the “unprecedented Italian shift to the right” would have massive effects on Europe and the European Union. “Italy, as a founding member and the third strongest economy in the EU, is heading towards an anti-democratic and anti-European government.”
danger of a debt crisis
The Greens co-head in Brussels, Thomas Waitz, told the “world” that the EU could only function if it held together, for example in cooperation on the energy markets, in decisions on sanctions against Russia or in overcoming the corona crisis .”
Meloni, on the other hand, would go it alone. “It can be a disaster for Europe.” Under Prime Minister Meloni, there would also be a great danger that Italy would slide back into a debt crisis.