Meloni rules out Quirinale bid and seeks five more years at Palazzo Chigi

Quirinale bid ruled out

Giorgia Meloni has dismissed speculation about a future bid for the Quirinale, Italy's presidential palace, saying the post is not in her plans. In an excerpt from Bruno Vespa's book, she says she is focused on closing out her current term and wants Italians to confirm their trust in her for another five years. The book, Storia della Seconda Repubblica. Da Berlusconi a Meloni, da Prodi a Schlein, is published by Mondadori-Rai Libri and is due out on 2 November.

“I am totally focused on closing this term well and asking Italians to confirm their trust in me for another five years. The Quirinale is not part of my plans.”

A dispute over the presidency

Meloni argued that the next head of state does not have to come from the centre-left, and she rejected the idea that a conservative figure could not aspire to the role. She said that about half of Italians, or more, are treated as second-class citizens by the left and called this attitude unbearable. She also described the left's reaction to the prospect of a centre-right majority choosing the next president as a sign of a proprietary view of institutions.

“Who says that to be an excellent president of the Republic one must necessarily come from the centre-left? I find this 'cultural racism' unbearable.”

Her record in government

Meloni presented her government's stability as its main achievement, pointing to low spreads, interest saved on public debt and foreign investment, according to Il Giornale, which describes her as the first woman to lead Palazzo Chigi. She said she had given everything she could to the job and had no regrets. She also spoke of her disappointment at a referendum that she had expected to win until the morning of the vote, adding that Italy needs a reform of justice and that this will now be harder to achieve.

On foreign policy, she said her firm position alongside Kyiv was Italy's international strength and that it could cost her politically, but she would not change course. She described ups and downs in her relationship with Donald Trump, saying she did not understand the misunderstanding between them, and said she had also had a good relationship with Joe Biden.

Vannacci and the next legislature

On Vannacci, Meloni said he works for the broad centre-left camp. She said she wants to govern without blackmail, with the centre-right coalition as it is. For the next legislature she said she wants to keep protecting savings, jobs and the security of citizens.

“I want to govern without blackmail, with the centre-right we know.”

About the book

Il Giornale reports that Vespa's roughly 350-page volume traces 32 years of Italian politics, from Silvio Berlusconi's entry into the field to Meloni's government, and that the period saw 16 governments, 12 prime ministers and 4 heads of state. The book is described as part essay and part novel, with inside accounts and unpublished conversations. Vespa's account begins with Berlusconi and ends with Meloni, placing Romano Prodi and Elly Schlein along the way.