Written by Arno Van Rensbergen• June 15, 2024• 8:23 am• Politics
The Italian Prime Minister exudes strength at the G7 summit in southern Italy. Electorally, she is stronger than other leaders. She will soon use that influence during the European nomination round.
Giorgia Meloni (47) has had a great week. On Sunday evening, her radical right party Fratelli d’Italia won 28.8 percent in the European elections. Her party remains the largest in Italy. On Thursday, the prestigious G7 summit started in Puglia, southern Italy, with Meloni as hostess, in front of the world.
The three-day summit in Borgo Egnazia, which ends today, is the culmination of Italy’s year-long G7 presidency. Meloni put Africa on the agenda. And thanks to the Italian presidency, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a seat at the table. Meloni also brought the Pope to the G7 – a first. Francis spoke about artificial intelligence and warned that AI should never escape human control.
The Italian head of government exudes confidence. And with good reason: of all the leaders present, she is the strongest electorally. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak seems to be on his way to the exit and American President Biden is facing a difficult campaign.
The leaders of the eurozone’s largest and second-largest economies, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, suffered a painful election defeat on Sunday. Meloni’s victory tastes extra sweet, especially because of Macron’s blow.