Argentina's President Becomes an Italian
Photo: Natacha Pisarenko/AP/TT

Argentina's President Becomes an Italian Citizen

Argentina's president Javier Milei has also been granted Italian citizenship, reports Italian Ilpost. The decision was announced after a meeting in Italy between Milei and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

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Milei is granted citizenship since he has Italian ancestry – both his paternal grandparents and also his maternal grandmother were from Italy. Consequently, the Argentine president will have dual citizenship.

The citizenship has sparked criticism among Italy's opposition, who have long campaigned to make it easier for children born in Italy to obtain citizenship.

The rules for obtaining citizenship are often up for discussion as they are considered unfair and discriminatory. Most recently, the opposition tried to amend the laws last autumn.

To obtain citizenship in Italy, one must have lived in the country for 10 years, and children born in Italy to foreign citizens cannot apply for citizenship until they turn 18 years old.

At the same time, those who can prove Italian ancestry through Italian relatives who emigrated abroad can more easily obtain citizenship, as in Milei's case, the newspaper writes.

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AuthorTT News AgencyEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for our readers
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