Giorgia Meloni is not a fascist. Yes, the logo of her party is a hangover from its fascist origins and, yes, the teenage Ms Meloni once expressed her admiration for Mussolini's leadership qualities. But no, she's not a fascist, a word that gets thrown around far too carelessly.
But is her brand of politics really extreme or even unusual? When we spoke, she told me she admires Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. She's created friendly links with the American Republicans and would like to move closer to Britain's Conservative party. Like Liz Truss, she sees tax cuts as an important first step in proving her credentials.
She's even forged an unlikely friendship with the outgoing Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who has been offering her his thoughts on how to manage the Italian economy and maintain decent relations with the European Union. It's quite hard to imagine Mr Draghi, still an enormously popular figure, offering a helping hand to someone he considered a danger to the nation.The truth is that she's hard to compartmentalise.
The Five Star Movement, which once seemed so disruptive, suffered a slump in popularity and there was widespread irritation that Mr Draghi, who was not aligned to any party, was forced out of office.Matteo Salvini, Silvio Berlusconi and Giorgia Meloni at the close of the campaign . Pic: AP
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