Moves and announcements by the center-right in view of the European elections
What happens between Fratelli d'Italia, Lega and Forza Italia in view of the European elections. Paola Sacchi's note
After Matteo Renzi's attacks on Giorgia Meloni, which sounded even harsher than those of Giuseppe Conte himself, in a sort of paradoxical " grillinization " of the reformism of the leader of IV, Forza Italia, not an obscure but always explicit object of desire of the former prime minister and former PD leader, has an even easier time relaunching itself as a moderate and reformist centre. Which "will never question the center-right government", assures the governor of Calabria Roberto Occhiuto.
In a press conference in Rome, at the headquarters in Piazza S. Lorenzo in Lucina, Antonio Tajani significantly has Stefania Craxi next to him, as well as the entire blue staff, with the group leaders Maurizio Gasparri and Paolo Barelli, the spokesperson Raffaele Nevi, the “socialist-craxian” Alessandro Battilocchio. Craxi, Italian senator and president of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Commission, recalls that his father Bettino "was the last great leader of the reformist left" because "reformism is not with this left" and the "majority of socialist voters voted for center-right in 1994, seeing Forza Italia as a space of freedom and acceptance of our culture". “They wanted to kill us, but we are still here,” he underlines, in a dry tone.
Craxi then recalls the "deep bond" between his father and Silvio Berlusconi "united in their love for Italy and the desire to modernize this country". It will be Stefania Craxi herself in Milan who will organize an initiative on the "house of reformists", as part of many events, which began yesterday with the "Congress of Ideas in Naples", with Fulvio Martusciello, head of the FI delegation in Europe. Initiatives, in view of the FI national congress in Rome, next 23 and 24 February, such as those in Milan on the economy and the party on 26 January for the 30th anniversary of the foundation of FI by Berlusconi.
Tajani, remembering that it is always Berlusconi "with his values who guide us" and that "Forza Italia is only one", launches the objective of double figures in the European elections, 10 percent, and double in the general elections. With already 110,000 active members. As he had already said to Atreju, gathered around Meloni with Matteo Salvini, in an iconic image of the unity of the governing coalition, FI does not intend to go looking for votes among the allies, but to take them in the vast civic world and of abstention with the aim of "not just being the center of the centre-right but the backbone of the country".
Obviously the physiological collaboration-competition within the coalition is inevitable because we will vote in the European elections using proportional representation. But the centre-right, despite certain forecasts that took the candidacy of the three leaders for the European elections for granted, seems to want to give itself as unitary a framework as possible within the albeit objective three-way competition. The prime minister and president of FdI had said at the press conference at the beginning of the year that he would decide with the other majority leaders, because "my candidacy would force the others to do so too". And last night on TV, on Quarta Repubblica , Salvini, denying media predictions that are always a little off-the-mark about the centre-right, announced that he will not run. While he would like General Roberto Vannacci to do it for the League.
Tajani said that for him, being busy in the congress, it would be a little difficult to do so. At this point it becomes a little difficult to imagine that the prime minister would do so. It is clear that the three leaders have already spoken on the subject. Moreover, as a long-standing politician, the prime minister knows well that an excessive consensus for FdI driven by his candidacy would unbalance relations with allies too much and would therefore not be a great guarantee of stability for the government. Although naturally Meloni, like his deputy prime ministers, consider the vote to be the best measure of consensus.
In the meantime, however, the "square" for the Regionals must be found. Tajani agrees with Salvini on re-nominating the incumbents. Voting takes place in Piedmont (president of FI), in Basilicata (FI), Abruzzo (FdI), Sardinia (Lega) and in October in Umbria (Lega). A complex risk, starting in Sardinia, where FdI is pushing for one of its candidates. But Tajani assures: "There are open questions, we are not the house of the sleeping, but we will find the solution".
As for Renzi's gloomy predictions, the Italian secretary and foreign minister is blunt: "Up until now it seems to me that his party has been cannibalized, and there was also little to eat… I don't respond to insults that demonstrate great difficulty, when you get distracted with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and travel it's difficult to follow Italian politics."
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/centrodestra-elezioni-europee/ on Tue, 09 Jan 2024 06:37:40 +0000.