Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani faces backlash over marriage remarks at Formello event

Analogy at the Itaca event

Italian Foreign Minister and Forza Italia secretary Antonio Tajani addressed the Itaca 2.0 political convention in Formello, organized by Lazio regional council vice president Giuseppe Cangemi. Tajani used a domestic analogy about marriage and dating advice for a son to illustrate voter preferences and political reliability. He drew a contrast between political forces that appear flashy and those that provide institutional stability. The remarks drew immediate condemnation from opposition parties, who characterized the framing as outdated and offensive.

“There is a girl who is more serious, maybe less flashy, but she is more reliable, more serious, she is one who will be a good mother of a family, who will keep faith with the love confirmed through marriage. And so I say to my son: choose the second one.”

Marriage comparison and political stability

Tajani continued his speech by contrasting women based on physical appearance and perceived fidelity, arguing that less visible partners guarantee family stability. He stated that choosing between political parties in voter polls reflects similar choices between steady options and unpredictable alternatives. In his address, he also applied the comparison to men, contrasting a playboy with an employee in a jacket and tie. Tajani used these examples to present the Italian center-right coalition as a predictable choice for voters.

“Better a girl who is more serious, who wears longer skirts than that other one. That goes for boys as well: there is the muscular playboy or the one who goes to work in a jacket and tie. I suggest always choosing the reliable one, and the center-right is reliable.”

Opposition demands government action

The remarks drew swift backlash from centrist and left-wing opposition figures. Matteo Renzi, leader of Italia Viva, stated that Tajani's comments reflected a nineteenth-century conception of women and diverged from the legacy of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Renzi called on Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to dismiss Tajani from his ministerial post at the Farnesina and suggested Forza Italia remove Berlusconi's name from its electoral logo. Italia Viva Senate group leader Raffaella Paita joined the criticism, arguing that equating beauty with unfaithfulness harms broader public campaigns against femicide.

“Tajani's statements about young women today give us a nineteenth-century idea of women. The foreign minister should deal with the burqa of Afghan women, not the miniskirts of Italian girls.”

Democratic Party condemnation

Valeria Valente, a senator for the Democratic Party, described the speech as a collection of harmful stereotypes that reduces women to traditional domestic roles. Opposition figures also questioned how Marina Berlusconi, chair of Fininvest and daughter of the former prime minister, viewed the statements delivered by the current leader of Forza Italia. Critics noted the contrast between Tajani's traditionalist rhetoric at the Formello gathering and his standing as Italy's top diplomatic representative in international negotiations. Tajani has not issued a formal retraction or clarification of the remarks.

“A concentrate of stereotypes about women and an idea of woman as angel of the hearth, waiting faithfully at home for her husband with children and wearing a long skirt. Tajani's statements are simply shameful, unworthy of a minister of the Italian Republic.”