Written by Mario Sechi, the article has faced backlash from women's rights advocates who criticise Meloni's insufficient efforts in safeguarding women from violence in the country.
Italy's first female Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was named "Man of the Year" by Libero Quotidiano, a far-right daily published in Milan. Written by Mario Sechi, the paper's Rome bureau chief and a former member of Meloni's public relations team, the article has faced backlash from women's rights advocates who criticise her insufficient efforts in safeguarding women from violence in the country.
Named 'Man of the Year', the article states that Meloni has won the "war of the sexes" in Italy, and she had "not only broken the glass ceiling, she dissolved it."
Sechi wrote, "In our society of weak thinking, we have recognized strong ideas."
The article read, "Giorgia Meloni for Libero is ‘man of the year’ because above everything she has cancelled the war of the sexes by winning it, by thinking differently, being divergent, overcoming the arrogance of men and the defeatism of women. She has not only broken the glass ceiling, she has dissolved it."
The article applauds Meloni for breaking barriers,but some critics, including Italian MP Elisabetta Piccolotti from the Alleanza Verdi e Sinistra, argue that the title reinforces male superiority.
Piccolotti challenged Meloni on Facebook, urging her to clarify her gender identity amidst the controversy. She wrote, according to The Telegraph, “At this point, prime minister, please clarify: are you a woman, are you a man or are you non-binary?”
On the other hand, Elly Schlein, secretary of the Democratic Party, expressed her disagreement, stating, "I don’t think my aspiration as a politician is to become man of the year. On the contrary, I think this is a surrender."
Despite the criticism, Gennaro Sangiuliano, the culture minister in Meloni's government and a former deputy director of Libero, defended the 'Man of the Year' title, deeming it well-deserved. Notably, Meloni has remained silent on the matter, refraining from commenting on the controversial article.
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