Giorgia Meloni (born 15 January 1977) is an Italian politician serving as the Prime Minister of Italy since 22 October 2022. She is the first woman to hold this office in the history of the Italian Republic. Since 2014, she has led the Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d'Italia, FdI), a national-conservative political party she co-founded in 2012. Born in Rome to Anna Paratore and Francesco Meloni, she was raised in the Garbatella district, a working-class neighborhood. Her father left the family when she was a young child, and she was raised primarily by her mother. Meloni’s early political consciousness began at the age of 15 when she joined the Youth Front, the youth wing of the Italian Social Movement (MSI), a neo-fascist party. She later became active in student politics, founding "Gli Antenati" ("The Ancestors"), a student group that protested against public education reforms. In 1996, she became a leader of Student Action, a student movement associated with the National Alliance (Alleanza Nazionale), the successor to the MSI. Meloni’s parliamentary career began in 2006 when she was elected to the Chamber of Deputies. Her administrative experience expanded in 2008 when she was appointed Minister of Youth in the fourth government of Silvio Berlusconi. At age 31, she became the youngest minister in the history of the unified Italian state. She held this position until 2011, when the Berlusconi government resigned amid a financial crisis. In December 2012, Meloni co-founded the Brothers of Italy alongside Ignazio La Russa and Guido Crosetto. The party, which claims ideological roots in Italian national conservatism, struggled for electoral traction in its early years but gained significant momentum over the next decade. Meloni was elected president of the party in 2014 and led it through various electoral cycles, serving as the only major opposition party during the tenure of the Draghi government (2021–2022). This positioning allowed the party to consolidate its base and ultimately win the 2022 Italian general election. On 22 October 2022, following the coalition’s victory, Meloni was sworn in as Prime Minister by President Sergio Mattarella. Meloni’s political ideology is often characterized as right-wing to far-right, emphasizing national sovereignty, traditional family values, and opposition to illegal immigration. Her platform frequently cites the motto "Dio, patria, famiglia" ("God, fatherland, family"). While her party has historical roots in post-fascist movements, Meloni has sought to distance her administration from extremist labels, defining her approach to the European Union as "Eurorealist"—favoring a Europe of independent nations rather than federalism. In foreign policy, she has maintained a staunchly Atlanticist position, particularly regarding strong support for Ukraine following the 2022 Russian invasion, marking a departure from some of the more isolationist rhetoric observed in other European populist movements. In her personal life, Meloni has a daughter, Ginevra, and was in a long-term relationship with journalist Andrea Giambruno until 2023. She has a sister, Arianna Meloni, who is also active in political affairs. In 2024, she was recognized by Time magazine and Forbes as one of the most influential figures globally, reflecting her position as a central, if polarizing, figure in contemporary European politics.