FdI Leader Meloni-"I'm No Danger To Democracy"

Leader of the right-wing Brothers of Italy (FdI) Giorgia Meloni has released a video aimed at international critics, stating that if she becomes prime minister after the 25 September general election - as opinion polls suggest is likely - that her gov't will not threaten Italy's democratic institutions.

• A video released in English, Spanish, and French on 10 August Meloni claims that if she leads the centre-right coalition to victory there will be an “anti-democratic drift” or “authoritarian turn" in Italy, and decrying an “absurd narrative” that a Meloni gov't would jeopardise reforms that would risk Italy's receipt of billions of euros in EU post-pandemic recovery funds.
• Meloni: "For days, I have been reading articles in the international press about the upcoming elections that will give Italy a new government, in which I am described as a danger to democracy, to Italian, European and international stability, [articles stating that a win for the FdI would be] a disaster, leading to an authoritarian turn, Italy's departure from the euro and other nonsense of this sort. None of this is true."
• The FdI formed as a right-wing splinter from former PM Silvio Berlusoni's broad centre-right People of Freedom alliance in 2012. Prior to joining Berlusconi, the far-right group was known as the National Alliance from 1995 to 2009, and prior to that from 1946 to 1995 as the post-fascist Italian Social Movement, which was founded after WWII by supporters of former dictator Benito Mussolini's Republican Fascist Party.
• Latest polling shows the centre-right coalition of the FdI, former deputy PM Matteo Salvini's League, and Berlusconi's Forza Italia polling well ahead of the centre-left alliance and in pole position to form the next gov't.
• On Tuesday Salvini stated publicly that whichever party in the coalition ends up with most votes, will provide the next PM, saying, "If Giorgia Meloni gets one more vote, Giorgia Meloni will be premier. If Matteo Salvini gets one more vote, it will be Matteo Salvini who gets the job. Nothing could be more clear, beautiful and linear than this. This is democracy, while on the other side there is the scratch card lottery between Letta, Renzi, Calenda, Di Maio, Bonino, Speranza, Conte, Fratoianni and whoever else you might like to add"