In Draghi's Italy, Far Right Gains Ground with Meloni

ROME - Almost all of Italy's political parties rallied behind Mario Draghi when he became prime minister -- but the public seems to be falling for his biggest critic, the far-right leader Georgia Meloni.

A straight-talking conservative who has embraced the fascist-era slogan of "God, Homeland and Family,"Meloni and her Brothers of Italy (FDI) are close to overtaking Matteo Salvini's anti-immigration League as the most popular party in opinion polls. Her success -- recent surveys put her party at around 20% -- raises the prospect that the next elections will produce the most right-wing government in Italy's postwar history, with FDI in the driving seat. The next general election is not due until 2023, and technocrat Draghi is still the country's most popular politician, but Meloni has made no secret of her ambitions.