Five things you should know about Italy's Giorgia Meloni
1// She's the leader of the nationalist Brothers of Italy party
which traces its roots back to a neo-fascist group set up after World War Two
Meloni has looked to distance herself from the far-right
and says her party is mainstream conservative
But critics say fascist sympathizers still flourish in its ranks
2// She was brought up by a single mother in a working class district of Rome
after her father abandoned them following her birth
Meloni has made no attempt to lose her strong Roman accent
3// Meloni entered politics aged 15
She won her first local election at 21
At 31, she became Italy's youngest-ever minister
when she was given the youth portfolio in Silvio Berlusconi's government in 2008
4// Meloni's right-wing alliance is promising lower taxes and early retirement
She appears to have abandoned her euroscepticism
Her consistent criticism of Vladimir Putin has won her brownie points in parts of the EU
even though many disagree with her views on LGBTQ rights and immigration
5// She is opposed to diversity quotas to boost female presence in parliament or the boardroom
saying women have to get to the top through merit
''I know that when you are a woman, you are often underestimated, but that can help you. And if I can do that, I think that we will finally understand also here in Italy that women can be very concrete, very fast and sometimes much honest. It's much (more) difficult for us to have compromises and I think that is what Italy needs now.''
