ITALY - THE MELONI GOVERNMENT's ONGOING PROBLEMS

It is also important to follow the development in the countries that do not currently have elections or major crises. This applies, for example, to EU country ITALY.

GEORGIA MELONI's very right-wing government since 2022 is in some problems. In the opinion polls, she is still quite high - approx. 48%. However, the trend is going downwards. And it is especially the support for her personally that is high. Not so much for her party, Fratelli d'Italia.

Recently she had a few personal problems. In part, she - after a statement from him - got rid of her partner of ten years. She did that on Instagram! And partly she - like Dansih foreign minister Løkke Rasmussen - was fooled by Russian journalists, who in a telephone interview posed as leaders in Africa. She spoke in the 20-minute interview about a growing fatique in the West over the war in Ukraine.

In addition, she has major problems keeping her government coalition together, especially Salvini's Lega.

The Italian economy is in great difficulty. The expected growth in 2024 has been adjusted down from 1.2% to 0.5%. Poverty is increasing, especially in southern Italy. The government's budget for 2024 has just been presented. And contrary to last year's campaign promises, it is a very tight budget - with higher national debt, higher taxes and cuts to public services, especially teachers and doctors.

To divert attention elsewhere, Meloni has just proposed an amendment to the Italian constitution so that the prime minister is henceforth directly elected by the voters. It will keep the debate going for several years.

In foreign policy, Meloni has chosen to follow the EU and the US in terms of European and Atlantic policy.

In general, the government is characterized by having appointed weak and rather inept representatives to many posts in and outside the government, e.g. on the state TV, RAI. This of course has its consequences.

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