Yanis Darras 2:23 p.m., September 27, 2022

What relations will France have with the new head of the Italian government, Giorgia Meloni?

For several years, the 45-year-old politician has been particularly critical of French international policy, and in particular of its influence in Africa.

But for what reasons?

Europe 1 takes stock.

It is a victory hailed by the far right in Europe.

In Italy, the right-wing alliance grouping together the Fratelli d'Italia party, La Ligua and Forza Italia

won

more than 40% of the vote.

An electoral success which will most certainly propel Giorgia Meloni to the head of the Council of Italy, the equivalent of the post of Prime Minister in France.

If the victory of the far-right leader is hailed by Marine Le Pen or by Eric Zemmour, the Elysée has been more cautious, indicating that it respects "the democratic choice" of the Italians, and calls the new head of the Italian government to "continue to work together". 

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Destabilization in Libya

Because Giorgia Meloni has not hesitated in recent years to point the finger at certain French politicians, especially on Twitter.

The former member of the post-fascist party MSI criticized in 2018 the responsibility of France in the migratory wave which Italy has been facing since 2015. The president of the party

Fratelli d'Italia

then evoked in a video published on the social network , the central role of France in the destabilization of Libya, and in particular in the assassination of the Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

"The irresponsible are those who bombed Libya because it bothered them that Italy had a privileged relationship with Gaddafi in the field of energy," she explained. 

La #vomitevole ipocrisia di #Macron pic.twitter.com/zsCSPI5xRT

— Giorgia Meloni ن (@GiorgiaMeloni) June 12, 2018

Liberate Africa

And for Giorgia Meloni, there is no question of letting go.

A year later, in 2019, during an Italian program, an excerpt from which was also posted on Twitter, Giorgia Meloni brandished a photo of a Burkinabe child working in a mine.

Facing the camera, the leader of the

Fratelli d'Italia

party accused France of "taking 50% of the wealth of countries" whose currency is the CFA franc.

France takes everything, “including the gold that this child picks up,” she added, to thunderous applause from the public. 

Since then, the very probable future head of the Italian government has multiplied the attacks against influential European countries in Africa and in particular France.

"We must free Africa from certain European countries which take advantage of it", she concluded in front of the public.

It remains to be seen whether once in power, Giorgia Meloni will continue to hold this discourse against her French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron.