Meloni May Appoint Technocrats to Govt Ministries to Avoid Party Squabbles

National conservative Brothers of Italy (FdI) leader Giorgia Meloni, likely Italy’s next Prime Minister, says she may appoint technocrats to ministerial positions if no suitable candidates can be found within her centre-right coalition.

Meloni met with the members of her party this week to discuss the formation of the next Italian government, which she is expected to lead as Italy’s first female prime minister.

“Responsibility and strong nerves. The moment is important and I want to do well because in this government it is I who put my face to it. We have a huge weight on our shoulders, but I assure you that we will put the maximum effort into it,” Meloni said, newspaper Il Giornale reports.

Meloni added that she would not hesitate to appoint technocrats to key positions if no suitable candidates within her allied parties, Matteo Salvini’s League and Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia, are put forward, arguing that ministry positions would not be used to solve “internal party quarrels” as Italy is facing serious problems.

“We are in the middle of a conflict, whose contours seem to be even more rigid; unknowns remain on the subject of the pandemic; we are experiencing an economic and energy crisis that seems destined to cause a domino effect on the prices of raw materials and food products,” she said.

Meloni assured that negotiations with her coalition partners were progressing, however, saying: “Do not listen to the background, I am talking to everyone, in the end, we will find the solution. With Matteo Salvini and Antonio Tajani [of Forza Italia], the dialogue and the confrontation are continuous and positive.”

League leader Matteo Salvini hinted at wanting to return to the Interior Ministry during the Italian election campaign in August, a position he held in 2018 and 2019 when he was credited with reducing the number of illegal immigrant arrivals as well as drownings in the Mediterranean Sea.

However, a relatively poor election result last month has made it less clear whether or not Salvini will be selected for the key ministry now. Some have warned he may even face a leadership challenge within his own party.

Follow Chris Tomlinson on Twitter at @TomlinsonCJ or email at ctomlinson(at)breitbart.com.