Brothers of Italy leader Giorgia Meloni arrives for a meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinale Palace in Rome, Italy October 21, 2022.
REUTERS/Guglielmo MangiapaneSummary Meloni set to become Italy's first woman PMNew government could be sworn in at weekendBerlusconi irks allies with pro-Putin commentsROME, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Italy's Giorgia Meloni told President Sergio Mattarella on Friday that she was ready to become prime minister and could swiftly form a new government despite tumult within her right-wing coalition.
Meloni, head of the nationalist Brothers of Italy party, met the president alongside her main allies -- Matteo Salvini, who leads the far-right League, and Silvio Berlusconi, founder of the conservative Forza Italia party.
"We are ready to form a government as quickly as possible," Meloni told reporters after the unusually short meeting, which lasted barely 15 minutes.
The conservative bloc won a commanding parliamentary majority at a Sept. 25 general election, with Meloni's party taking the most votes, putting her in pole position to become Italy's first female prime minister.