The right-wing prime minister has a “strategy” to discredit, frighten and silence critics, from the media to the judiciary, says a famous Italian journalist.
Italy’s prime minister has turned her fire on the country’s judiciary, even as her critics decry “dangerous” political attacks reminiscent of Hungarian strongman Viktor Orbán.
While the Italian leader, at the head of Rome’s most right-wing government since Benito Mussolini’s fascist regime, has gained international credibility with her moderate rhetoric and support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, at home she has pursued a harsher agenda, moving to tighten her grip on the country’s institutions.
From journalists and intellectuals who scrutinize her actions, to judges who rule against her policies, Meloni routinely lashes out at opponents, portraying herself as the victim in a broader government campaign against dissent.
“This government has transformed critics — those who disagree or even simply those who apply existing laws — into dissidents,” Roberto Saviano, a famous anti-mafia crusader, told POLITICO.