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Meet the key figures in Italy’s new government

Italy's new government line-up brings a few fresh faces to some of its key seats while retaining most political figures from the previous cabinet in a bid to ensure political stability.

Published: 13 December 2016 08:58 CET
Updated: 13 December 2016 13:59 CET

Meet the key figures in Italy's new government

The new cabinet. Photo: AFP

Here are some of those from the centre left-right coalition tasked with key roles in managing a potential banking crisis in the eurozone's third largest economy as well as reforming a key electoral law.

Paolo Gentiloni, prime minister

Photo: AFP

A trusted ally of his predecessor Matteo Renzi. This silver-haired former foreign minister, 62, is a former student radical who comes from a well-to-do Roman family with aristocratic roots.

He is widely seen as having done a good job as foreign minister as Italy has played an unusually proactive role on the world stage, notably in relation to Libya, and in building bridges with Iran after the lifting of international sanctions.

PROFILE: Paolo Gentiloni, a former radical, journalist and 'workaholic'

Angelino Alfano, foreign minister

Photo: AFP

He was interior minister and deputy prime minister under Renzi, and heads up the New Centre Right (NCD) party, the government's coalition partner.

Born in 1970, he was the right-hand man to billionaire former PM Silvio Berlusconi for many years. He made his name as the architect of a law intended to shield Berlusconi from prosecution, but broke all ties with the media magnate in 2013.

Pier Carlo Padoan, finance minister

Photo: AFP

A former chief economist at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the 66-year old also served as the Italian executive director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

As finance minister under Renzi, he has been working flat out on a plan to save Italy's third-biggest bank, troubled lender Monte dei Paschi di Siena (BMPS), should it fail to raise the necessary funds to stay afloat. His reappointment is likely to soothe investors worried about contagion.

Marco Minniti, interior minister

Interior Minister Marco Minniti (R) and Justice Minister Andrea Orlando. Photo: AFP

The 60-year old was the state secretary with responsibility for the security services in the outgoing administration and the one before that. He was deputy interior minister in the Romano Prodi government of 2006 to 2008.

Andrea Orlando, justice minister

The 47-year old, who does not have a university degree, held the post of environment minister under Enrico Letta (2013 to 2014).

When he was appointed justice minister by Renzi, Italian media reports said he was chosen as part of a deal made between Renzi and Berlusconi, because he presented little threat to the media magnate, whose legal troubles were hindering his political career.

Roberta Pinotti, defence minister

Photo: AFP

The 55-year-old former schoolteacher, who stays on in defence, was the first woman to hold the position of president of the Defence Commission in the lower house of parliament.

Valeria Fedeli, education minister

Photo: AFP

The 67-year old is a former trade unionist and deputy speaker in the senate who has campaigned hard to fight violence against women.

Maria Elena Boschi, undersecretary to the PM

Photo: AFP

Boschi was the minister in charge of constitutional reforms under Renzi, and therefore of the very reform that was put to a referendum, and led to his downfall.

The 35-year old is a die-hard Renzi ally and is expected to ensure the former PM's voice is still heard in the new administration.

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The strike comes after Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama — who is close to Meloni — called a top RAI editor to complain about a television report into Italy’s controversial migration deal with his country.

The Usigrai trade union called the strike from May 6 to May 7 saying talks with management had failed to address their concerns.

It cited numerous issues, including staff shortages and contract issues, but in first place was “the suffocating control over journalistic work, with the attempt to reduce RAI to a megaphone for the government”.

It had already used that phrase to object to what critics say is the increasing influence over RAI by figures close to Prime Minister Meloni, who leads Italy’s most right-wing government since World War II.

However, another union of RAI journalists, Unirai, said they would not join what they called a “political” strike, defending the return to “pluralism” at the broadcaster.

Funded in part by a licence fee and with top managers long chosen by politicians, RAI’s independence has always been an issue of debate.

But the arrival in power of Meloni — leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, who formed a coalition with Matteo Salvini’s far-right League party and the late Silvio Berlusconi’s right-wing Forza Italia — redoubled concerns.

Tensions erupted at the weekend amid accusations RAI censored a speech by a leading writer criticising Meloni ahead of Liberation Day on April 25, when Italians mark the defeat of Fascism and the Nazis at the end of World War II.

Both RAI’s management and Meloni have denied censorship, and the premier posted the text of the monologue on her social media.

In another twist, Albania’s premier confirmed Thursday he called senior RAI editor Paolo Corsini about an TV report on Sunday into Italy’s plans to build two migration processing centres on Albanian territory.

Rama told La Stampa newspaper the report was “biased” and contained “lies” – adding that he had not raised the issue with Meloni.

The Report programme claimed the costs of migrant centres, which are under construction, were already “out of control” and raised questions about criminals benefiting from the project.