Her rise marked the consolidation of post-fascist currents within Italy’s mainstream political sphere. Born and raised in Rome, Meloni joined the Fronte della Gioventù, the youth wing of the Movimento Sociale Italiano (MSI), at the age of fifteen. She began her political career within the Alleanza Nazionale (AN), the MSI’s successor party founded by Gianfranco Fini in an effort to distance the Italian right from its fascist origins.
In 2008, Meloni became the youngest minister in the history of the Italian Republic, serving as Minister for Youth in Silvio Berlusconi’s fourth government. Following the dissolution of the Popolo della Libertà (PdL) in 2012, she co-founded Fratelli d’Italia (FdI), positioning it as a more right-wing alternative to Berlusconi. Under her leadership, FdI combined the iconography and rhetorical heritage of the post-fascist right with populist themes such as sovereignty, identity, and the defence of “traditional values.”
Meloni’s political discourse emphasises nationalism, Christian identity, and opposition to immigration and supranational governance. She has also expressed admiration for figures such as Giorgio Almirante, whom she regards as a mentor within the Italian right’s historical lineage. Her party continues to employ MSI symbols and narratives, maintaining continuity with the neofascist tradition, while seeking international legitimacy within the European conservative mainstream.
As prime minister, Meloni has balanced nationalist rhetoric with pragmatic engagement at the European level, particularly on issues such as migration control, energy security, and fiscal governance. Nonetheless, her leadership has intensified debates about the normalisation of post-fascist politics in Italy and the transformation of historical far-right movements into electorally viable, institutionalised forces.
