As Italy’s prospective Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, wades through the profiles of political figures who will comprise her cabinet, she has come up against the galaxy-class egos of her coalition partners, Matteo Salvini (Lega) and Silvio Berlusconi (Forza Italia).
While Ms. Meloni vows “to give the nation the most authoritative government possible,” her center-right allies seek key ministries for their parties. Yet both men are playing weak hands. Signori Salvini and Berlusconi notched but nine percent and eight percent of the vote in the parliamentary elections, respectively.
Ms. Meloni’s party (Fratelli d’Italia) was the top vote-getter with 26 percent. Still, she needs the backing of the Lega and Forza Italia to form a government. Prospects — or lack thereof — for center-right unity hang on votes in the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, which cast secret ballots for new leaders.
The head of each house will play a pivotal role in formulating Italy’s next government. The Senate chose Ignazio La Russa, who is a member of Fratelli d’Italia, as president. Though this appears to be a win for Ms. Meloni, there was consternation on the left owing to Mr. La Russa’s post-fascist past.
Mr. La Russa began his career as a member of the Movimento Sociale Italiano, which later morphed into Alleanza Nazionale. Years later, Ignazio La Russa served as defense minister in Mr. Berlusconi’s fourth government. In 2012, he co-founded Fratelli d’Italia with Ms. Meloni and Guido Crosetto.
Following Mr. La Russa’s appointment, Ms. Meloni lauded her colleague as a “patriot, a servant of the state” and “an irreplaceable point of reference, a friend, a brother, an example for generations of activists and leaders.”
However, Mr. Berlusconi fulminated at his seat in the Senate, scribbling on a scrap of paper that Ms. Meloni was “patronizing, bossy, arrogant and offensive.” This missive was later published in La Repubblica.
Furious that Ms. Meloni had not knuckled under to the 86-year-old billionaire’s earlier demands over cabinet selections, specifically the justice ministry, Mr. Berlusconi ordered Forza Italia to boycott the vote. Yet the former premier found himself outmaneuvered.
It turned out that “la piccolina” — the little one, as he had once called Ms. Meloni — secured enough support from opposition parties to win the day sans Forza Italia’s support. Showing a determination to lead, not cower, Ms. Meloni later fired a shot across the bow: “An adjective is missing: I am not blackmailable.”
Then came the election of Lorenzo Fontana as speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, an appointment that roiled the waters of the left. Mr. Fontana, a socially conservative, fervent Roman Catholic — and ally of Mr. Salvini — is a traditionalist when it comes to marriage, homosexuality, and the mores of the LGBTQ community.
He also voiced a past admiration for Vladimir Putin. Yet few remember that President George W. Bush once looked the Russian president in the eye and “saw his soul,” finding Vlad to be “very straightforward and trustworthy.”
Mr. Fontana’s personal views on sexuality are seen as extreme even by moderates. And a leading Italian LGBTQ organization believes that the ascension of Mr. Fontana will lead to the “demolition of the authority of democratic institutions.” Indeed, one commentator labeled Mr. Fontana a “troglodyte.”
Nevertheless, the vote enables Ms. Meloni’s coalition partners to put what Mr. Salvini has called “a bump in the road” behind them. And a reconciliation between Ms. Meloni and Mr. Berlusconi took place on Monday when il Cavaliere (Buslusconi’s media title) journeyed to the headquarters of Fratelli d’Italia to jaw-jaw with the likely future premier.
By all accounts, the meeting was harmonious. And following the face-to-face encounter, Mr. Berlusconi tweeted: “I met with Giorgia Meloni in Rome. We are working together posthaste to give Italy a strong, cohesive and high-profile government capable of dealing with today’s urgent issues straightaway.”
For her part, Ms. Meloni said that the one-hour meeting underscored the conservatives’ unity in forging a team. By the time she arrives at Palazzo Chigi, Italy’s first female president of the council of ministers aspires to have assembled a team of highly competent problem solvers-cum-administrators.
Ms. Meloni’s party is optimistic of forming a cabinet capable of navigating an economy beset by unprecedented external events. A Fratelli d’Italia member of the Chamber of Deputies, and key Meloni ally, Francesco Lollobrigida, says “By next week, in all probability, we will have a government.”
What most observers tend to ignore is that the conservatives see their overall election triumph in September as, in part, a win for Italian patriotism. As Mr. Fontana asserted in addressing parliament following his victory, Italians “needed to get back a bit of pride in who we are.” -RAI
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