N. Peter Kramer’s Weekly Column
The tale of two successful iron ladies. Mette Frederiksen, more than six years Danish prime minister, called for snap elections, triggered by the Greenland fuss caused by US President Donald Trump. Expecting, given her popularity by the way she opposed Trump, to strengthen her power, the election result produced a fragmented parliament and a complex coalition arithmetic. She now faces the prospect of stitching together a coalition of at least four parties. Frederiksen will, in all likelihood, remain prime minister but with a substantial weaker mandate.
Georgia Meloni is the first woman to serve as Italian prime minister and, in office since October 2022, heading the third-longest government in the history of the Italian Republic. Did political success make her overconfident? She gambled on a flagship judicial reform referendum but lost. Her defeat has set off a wave of resignations, hollowing out her inner circle and weakening her authority in Rome. Also, the in Italy, by the Iran attack declining popularity of Trump, is a disadvantage for Meloni, chosen by the American president as his favourite European leader.
The social-democrat Frederiksen and the far-right Meloni are not natural allies. However parallel lines have met around shared priorities, migration above all. They have shaped parts of the EU agenda, particularly on migration, even as they diverge on climate ambition and social policy. Both ladies look set to remain at the EU leaders’ table. But may be with weaker hands.
