Milan, 11 Sept. (LaPresse) – “I believe democracy must be respected; it is not just a question of values but also of relations with Europe.” Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made these remarks in Vercelli, on the sidelines of the opening of the second edition of Risò, the International Rice Festival, whilst responding to a question about the elections in Saxony-Anhalt, which saw the AfD emerge victorious. Regarding the differing positions between Deputy Prime Ministers Antonio Tajani and Matteo Salvini, the Prime Minister replied: “It’s a debate; it’s normal for this to happen. I think the mistake we must not make is to draw parallels that don’t make much sense between what is happening in another country and what is happening in Italy. Politics cannot be reduced to a formula: every country has its own history, its own political landscape, its own challenges and its own priorities. Problems change; the important thing is that we do not make the oversimplifications I have heard in recent days. There is no parallel with Italy, because in Germany there is a ‘Grosse Koalition’ government, which brings together centre-right and centre-left parties. These are solutions which, given the difficulties in setting out a clear line on issues important to citizens, ultimately lead to the rise of this sort of movement. This is not the case in Italy; in Italy there is a ‘centre-right, right-wing’ government which provides answers ‘even on the issue of immigration, on which the AfD has made its name’.
Meloni: “The AfD is growing because the government’s stance is unclear; in Italy it’s different”
Milan, 11 Sept. (LaPresse) – “I believe democracy must be respected; it is not just a question of values but also of relations with Europe.” Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made these remarks in Vercelli, on the sidelines of the opening of the second edition of Risò, the International Rice Festival, whilst responding to a question about the elections in Saxony-Anhalt, which saw the AfD emerge victorious. Regarding the differing positions between Deputy Prime Ministers Antonio Tajani and Matteo Salvini, the Prime Minister replied: “It’s a debate; it’s normal for this to happen. I think the mistake we must not make is to draw parallels that don’t make much sense between what is happening in another country and what is happening in Italy. Politics cannot be reduced to a formula: every country has its own history, its own political landscape, its own challenges and its own priorities. Problems change; the important thing is that we do not make the oversimplifications I have heard in recent days. There is no parallel with Italy, because in Germany there is a ‘Grosse Koalition’ government, which brings together centre-right and centre-left parties. These are solutions which, given the difficulties in setting out a clear line on issues important to citizens, ultimately lead to the rise of this sort of movement. This is not the case in Italy; in Italy there is a ‘centre-right, right-wing’ government which provides answers ‘even on the issue of immigration, on which the AfD has made its name’.