Italy Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni

Meloni, who is also Italy's first woman PM, recited the oath of office before President Sergio Mattarella, who formally asked her to form a government a day ...

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Meloni in a tweet right after she was sworn in and noted that the Italian was the first woman to hold the premiership. Salvini’s right-wing League party has at times leaned Euroskeptic. Meloni's 24 ministers followed, similarly swearing in.

ROME — Giorgia Meloni completed her groundbreaking rise in Italian politics Saturday, when she was sworn in as the country's first female prime minister, ...

Enrico Letta, the leader of Italy’s center-left Democratic Party, said on Twitter that Italy is “undergoing a dangerous shift,” becoming more ambiguous in its stance on Russia and Ukraine. Friday morning, Meloni spoke to news organizations, flanked by Salvini and Berlusconi after they had consulted with Italian President Sergio Mattarella on the formation of a new government. Although Meloni has shown no affinity for Putin, Salvini has questioned the efficacy of Russian sanctions and once wore a Putin T-shirt while touring Red Square. Then several audio leaks showed Berlusconi boasting about a recent birthday gift from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who’d sent him 20 bottles of vodka and a “very kind letter,” which Berlusconi said he had responded to with an “equally sweet letter” and a pack of Lambrusco wine. The candidate, Ignazio La Russa, known as a collector of fascist memorabilia, won anyway. Female leaders are not new in Europe, but they are downright revolutionary in Italy, where the constellation of parties are led almost entirely by men. Meloni once served under him as a youth minister; now she leads a party with three times more support than his own. Berlusconi had pitched himself as an elder statesman in the coalition. There is plenty of skepticism from fellow leaders across the continent, who worry that her Italy-first vision will lead to fights in Brussels. Meloni’s ascent could be a transformative moment in a country that has sometimes been a test lab for broader political shifts, whether with fascism a century ago or, more recently, the personality-driven theater of Silvio Berlusconi. Her party won 26 percent of the overall vote, more than any other party. And she is already grappling with challenges from the other parties in her coalition, which so far have produced only headaches and controversies.

Ceremony took place amid tensions within Meloni's coalition after partner Berlusconi boasted about Putin ties.

The ceremony comes after days of tensions within the ruling coalition and infighting over who to appoint in key ministries. Anyone who does not agree with this cornerstone cannot be part of the government.” Just hours after the two seemed to have mended ties, an audio clip of Berlusconi was leaked to the media with the octogenarian boasting about his personal relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin – which included The government is expected to face confidence votes in parliament next week. “I intend to lead a government with a clear and unequivocal foreign policy line … Forza Italia’s Antonio Tajani is now the country’s foreign minister.