ROME, Dec 14 — The Italian government has granted citizenship to Argentine President Javier Milei, a source close to the matter told AFP today.
Milei is eligible for citizenship due to his Italian ancestors, but the move sparked anger among Italy’s opposition politicians who have been fruitlessly campaigning to make it easier for children born in Italy to migrant parents to get it.
A libertarian with dishevelled hair and a rock-star persona, Milei is in Rome to meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and take part in a festival run by her far-right Brothers of Italy party.
The leaders have established a close relationship, with Milei last month giving Meloni a statuette of himself wielding a chainsaw — a reference to his trademark move when campaigning for the presidency at rallies.
Milei’s sister Karina also received citizenship, according to ANSA news agency, which said the applications were fast-tracked by Rome.
Riccardo Magi, a lawmaker from the +Europa opposition party, said granting citizenship to Milei was an “insult” and act of “intolerable discrimination against so many young people who will only get it after many years”.
Foreigners currently need to live in Italy for 10 years before they can apply for citizenship by naturalisation, and children born in Italy to foreigners cannot apply for citizenship until they turn 18.
Opposition parties and pro-migrant organisations such as Oxfam Italia want to cut the 10-year period to five years, which would bring Italy in line with countries like Britain, France and Germany—but Meloni’s governing coalition is against easing the rules.
For “millions of Italians without citizenship who were born in Italy, who grew up in our country, who studied here, who work here, who pay taxes in our country—unlike President Milei—having Italian citizenship will remain an ordeal”, Magi said in a video posted on social media.
“Maybe they need to grab a fake or real chainsaw and go and ask for the citizenship law to be changed,” he said. — AFP
