Criticism as Italy fast-tracks citizenship for President Milei, Karina Milei

President Javier Milei has been granted citizenship by the Italian government during his latest overseas visit.

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.

Milei is currently in Rome to meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and take part in a festival run by her far-right Fratelli d'Italia (“Brothers of Italy”) party.

The leaders have established a close relationship, with the two leaders meeting several times during Milei’s first year in office.

Last month, in Buenos Aires, Argentina’s leader gave Meloni a statuette of himself wielding a chainsaw – a reference to his trademark move when campaigning for the presidency at rallies.

Milei's sister, Presidential Chief-of-Staff Karina Milei, 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 German – 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.

Milei is due to attend the Fratelli d'Italia Atreju youth festival on Saturday, which is to be held at the Circus Maximus in Rome. He is one of several leaders, intellectuals and personalities of the international right at the event,, where he will deliver a speech.

After the party forum, Milei will make an appearance on the Quarta Repubblica television programme, the same TV show he frequented back in February after his audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican.