After days of meetings and expectation, Silvio Berlusconi has resigned today aspiration to the Italian Head of State, his last great dream, but he asked that Mario Draghi, the main bet for the position, continue where he is, at the head of the Government.
The decision of Berlusconi arrives in extremis, two days before the start of voting in Parliament and after a week as a total protagonist in which, telephone in hand, he has tried to obtain the support of deputies and senators, although without success.
His retreat was confirmed with praise by his partner, the far-right Matteo Salvini: “A decisive and fundamental choice, Berlusconi offers a great service to Italy and to the centre-right, which will now have the honor and responsibility of putting their proposals on the table without vetoes from the left.”
An obstacle called Silvio
Next Monday, the Italian Parliament, meeting in a joint session -630 deputies, 320 senators and 58 regional delegates-, will be summoned to start voting on the successor to Sergio Mattarella at the Head of State for the next seven years.
The controversial tycoon, 85, had confessed his desire to achieve the highest distinction in the country and had reluctantly asked for – and obtained – the support of his allies: Salvini, the head of the ultra Brothers of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, and other small conservative and Christian Democrat formations.
This made it a stumbling block in possible negotiations since, on the one hand, the right wing coalition she was committed to following her dreams while the left considered it “unacceptable”, and the approach of positions is mandatory because no block adds up by itself to impose a name.
“National Responsibility”
Berlusconi, entrenched in his mansion in Arcore (north), met his ministers and collaborators by videoconference for advice and then summoned his coalition partners, Salvini and Meloni, among others, to inform them of his decision.
It was not he who did not participate in the meeting, a gesture that was undoubtedly symptomatic, but his senator Licia Ronzulli: the former Cavaliere he resigned “out of national responsibility”, since his proposal was undoubtedly the most divisive and controversial that the right could launch. not in vain so much Salvini What Meloni They had been emphasizing that if he had not revealed his plans before Sunday, they would have proposed another name, a Plan B.
Now, as Salvini has advanced, it will be time for the right, which has the relative majority of the chamber, to propose a name “high level” that pleases the left.
“No” to Draghi
But veteran Berlusconi’s decision has small print: one of his demands was that the current prime minister, mario draghi, whose name is the main bet for the position, continue to lead the Government and take the legislature to its natural term, 2023.
The economist is the preferred one because he has great international support and prestige and in fact, since February 2021, he has led a government to manage the pandemic supported by all the parties except the ultras Brothers of Italy by Meloni.
The former president of the European Central Bank He had dropped his availability to access the highest position in the country in the traditional press conference at the end of the year, but his “promotion” is feared by some parties because it could lead to an early election.
His arrival at the Quirinal would imply having to look for a substitute for him in the Executive as prime minister and it is not clear if the parties would be able to find a “impartial” figure to continue with government functions.
At stake, experts allege, is the pandemic management, for which Draghi was summoned a year ago, and the investment of the European funds from the Recovery Plan, but in the future of the economist the shadow of the electoral polls is also projected.
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In any case, the billionaire’s step back will surely unblock the negotiations between the right and the left. This follows from the relief with which the leader of the largest parliamentary group, the Five Star Movement, Giuseppe Conte, reacted: “With his withdrawal, let’s take a step forward and start a serious debate between political forces to offer the country a high-profile figure, respectable and widely shared,” he tweeted.
The parties will have the opportunity to seek a name on Sunday, calling up their assemblies and the “big voters” who will vote from Monday for the thirteenth president of the Italian Republic.