Italy’s Giorgetti named economy minister, Tajani foreign minister

ROME (Reuters) – New Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday named Giancarlo Giorgetti of the League party as her economy minister and said the foreign ministry will go to Antonio Tajani from Forza Italia.

Meloni, from the nationalist Brothers of Italy party, read out her list of ministers after being given a mandate to form a government by President Sergio Mattarella.

Among other top cabinet posts, the interior ministry goes to Matteo Piantedosi, a career civil servant with no party affiliation, and the defence ministry goes to Guido Crosetto, one of the founders of Brothers of Italy.

In all, nine ministries were handed out to Brothers of Italy politicians, five each to the League and Forza Italia, with technocrats given a further five cabinet posts.

Meloni led an alliance of conservative parties to victory at a Sept. 25 election.

(writing by Gavin Jones, editing by Crispian Balmer)