Still Populist? Still Radical Right? The Brothers of Italy in government, between pragmatic moderation and radical identity

This paper analyzes Fratelli d’Italia (FdI, Brothers of Italy), the main party of the Italian government since October 2022. The growth of FdI is first framed both in space and time, i.e. within the radical right European party family (within which most works classify it) and within the historical experience of the neo- and post-fascist Italian parties. Focusing mainly on the supply side, the paper then elaborates data on two main domains 1) a middle-level elite survey conducted by the authors in Spring 2023, 2) the changing party communication, as framed in daily press releases on the party's website during the 2012-2023 period. The analysis investigates the complex balancing acts that the party has faced in moving from 10 years of opposition to the position of main actor in government. This will highlight how the party has managed to 'juggle' between the cultivation of a radical-right memory (and nostalgic electorate), and the needs to moderate its approach in facing domestic and international constraints while in government.