New Italian PM Meloni sees tough times, denounces Russian "blackmail" - Reuters

ROME, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Giorgia Meloni, Italy's archetypal pistillate premier minister, vowed connected Tuesday to steer the state done immoderate of the hardest times since World War Two and to support enactment for Ukraine successful its struggle with Russia.

Striking a combative code successful her maiden code to parliament, Meloni said her blimpish conjugation would marque its dependable heard successful Europe and disavowed fascism, contempt her ain party's far-right roots.

Italy would proceed to enactment Western sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin careless of a compression connected state imports from Moscow, Meloni said during a wide-ranging code that lasted much than an hour.

"Anyone who believes it is imaginable to commercialized Ukraine's state for our bid of caput is mistaken," Meloni said.

"Giving successful to Putin's blackmail connected vigor would not lick the problem, it would exacerbate it by opening the mode to further demands and blackmail."

The caput of the nationalist Brothers of Italy, Meloni, 45, swept to victory past period arsenic portion of an electoral conjugation that included Forza Italia, led by erstwhile Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, and Matteo Salvini's anti-immigrant League.

The authorities is Italy's astir right-wing medication since World War Two and erstwhile adjacent ties betwixt Moscow and some Berlusconi and Salvini person raised concerns implicit its overseas policy.

Meloni aboriginal denied accusations from absorption lawmakers that she was anti-European, saying "you don't needfully person to beryllium a federalist to judge successful European integration".

"(The European Union) has got progressive successful tons of things that should person been near to federation states ... and has been absent connected the large strategical questions," she said.

FASCISM CONDEMNED

Meloni said her authorities would connection fiscal enactment for families and firms deed by the vigor crisis, informing that the precocious outgo of this meant her medication mightiness person to hold immoderate of its much costly predetermination promises.

"The discourse successful which the authorities volition person to enactment is precise complicated, possibly the astir hard since World War Two," she said, adding that the system could descend into recession adjacent twelvemonth arsenic it battled rising ostentation and disruption linked to the COVID-19 pandemic and Ukraine.

Meloni, who grew up successful a working-class district of Rome, formed herself arsenic an underdog acceptable to defy critics who person accused her of being an illiberal demagogue.

"I person ne'er felt immoderate sympathy oregon closeness to anti-democratic regimes. For nary regimes, fascism included," she said.

"In the aforesaid way, I person ever considered the (anti-Semitic) radical laws of 1938 the lowest constituent of Italian history, a shame that volition taint our radical forever."

On immigration, a cardinal contented for her supporters, she said Italy would question to halt radical being smuggled crossed the Mediterranean and enactment with governments successful Africa to assistance halt the migrant flows from the continent.

"Nobody indispensable travel to Italy illegally," she said.

Meloni's supporters gave her a lasting ovation aft her 70-minute speech, with immoderate chanting: "Giorgia, Giorgia".

The little location subsequently approved the caller authorities successful a assurance question by 235 votes to 154, with 5 abstentions. A akin ballot is expected successful the precocious location Senate connected Wednesday, wherever Meloni besides enjoys a wide majority.

Additional reporting by Gavin Jones, Giuseppe Fonte and Giselda Vagnoni Writing by Keith Weir; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Crispian Balmer

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