Mussolini’s granddaughter leaves Meloni’s party for being ‘too right-wing’

Rachele Mussolini, granddaughter of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, announced on Thursday (12) that she is leaving the Brothers of Italy party, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, because she considers the party to be too conservative. This decision came after Rachele recently questioned the party’s position on minority rights.

A councilwoman in Rome, Rachele was the most voted candidate in the city’s last municipal elections in 2021. Now, she joins the more centrist group Forza Italia, also part of Meloni’s governing coalition. “It is time to turn the page and join a party that I feel is more aligned with my moderate and centrist sensibilities,” Rachele, 50, told the ANSA news agency, confirming information previously published by the press.

The Brothers of Italy has its roots in the Italian Social Movement (MSI), a party that emerged after World War II and is widely seen as an heir to Benito Mussolini’s fascism. Since taking office as prime minister in 2022, Giorgia Meloni has sought to position the party as a mainstream conservative force.

However, critics argue that the change is only superficial, pointing to the party’s strict policies on issues such as immigration, abortion and same-sex parenting, as well as moves to toughen penalties related to surrogacy.

Forza Italia, while also presenting itself as a defender of traditional Christian values, is perceived as more liberal on civil rights. A political source told Reuters that civil rights issues played a crucial role in Rachele Mussolini’s decision to switch parties.

The previous month, Rachele had a disagreement with Meloni over the gender issue involving Imane Khelif, an Algerian boxer who faced Italian Angela Carini at the Olympic Games.

After Carini withdrew from the fight against Khelif, who later won the gold medal, Meloni claimed that the match had not been fair as Khelif had failed the gender eligibility test at the previous year’s World Championships.

Rachele, on the other hand, came to Khelif’s defense, declaring: “Until proven otherwise, Imane Khelif is a woman. And she has been the target of an unfair witch hunt.”

These releases, together with the public statements, mark an important rupture within the Italian political field.

With information from News Agencies.