The winner of the election must negotiate with her conservative bloc partners on the composition of the next government, which must be approved by the head of state
The day after the victory in the Italian parliamentary elections of the right-wing coalition, which will have an absolute majority in parliament, the winner, Giorgia Meloni, did not see her. After a brief and sober appearance at dawn to analyze the results, the one called to be the first woman to lead a government in Rome sent three of her party’s heavyweights, the far-right Fratelli d’Italy (FdI, Brothers of Italy), but she chose to keep her privacy. She gave a glimpse of what she was doing that day by posting on social media the greeting card that her six-year-old daughter, Ginevra, had written for her. Already in the latter part of the campaign, she had admitted that she was “a little tired.”
Meloni won’t have much time to recover as the schedule is tight. The pools are already starting to circulate about who will occupy the main ministries in his government, which will have to be divided between FdI and the other two political forces that make up the coalition, the League of Matteo Salvini and Forza Italia, Silvio’s party Berlusconi. They each got about 8% of the vote, so they will have to settle for Meloni’s party, which reached 26%. The final word on the composition of the executive, however, corresponds to the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, to whom the Constitution assigns that responsibility.
Once his assault on power is complete, Meloni will likely hold on to his tougher tone, which he has alternated with a more moderate profile throughout the campaign, to try and reassure Mattarella and international observers. In the hotel where FdI celebrated the victory at dawn, it showed clear signs of that. She acknowledged that this is the hour of “responsibility” and vowed to exercise her power, not just thinking about those who voted for her. “If we are called to rule, we will do it for everyone, to unite the people by glorifying what unites us and not what divides us, giving Italians the pride to wave the national flag,” he said. He later posted on social media stating that from now on, his job will be to “not disappoint” Italians and do everything possible to “restore the dignity and pride of the nation”.
Once the new government is approved, which could take place a few days after October 13, when the new members of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies meet for the first time, Meloni will have to prepare the new budgets in a forced march: must be submitted to the European Union by the end of the year. The next Executive must also respond as quickly as possible to the rising energy price and continue with the next deadlines of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), the ambitious reform program and European aid that foresees the receipt of 191,500 million euros until 2026, largely contributed by the European Union.
“There are several challenges that Meloni will face in these early months,” said Luigi Curini, professor of political science at Milan State University. The most direct will be negotiations with Mattarella to elect the list of ministers. If the FdI leader opts for profiles that are too technical not to have any issues with the head of state, her gesture could be seen as “a sign of political weakness,” Curini said. “Then there is the balance of power between the three conservative coalition parties and the response to economic and foreign policy issues.” This expert is “fairly optimistic” and does not believe that Italy’s support for Ukraine will change in the light of the war with Russia. Despite Salvini and Berlusconi’s connections to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, the election winner shows a firm stance in favor of NATO. “It’s a crucial issue for Meloni, who knows she will have the eyes of the world on her for the first few weeks, so there will be continuity.”
One issue that FdI wants to address that would mean a substantial change in internal politics is the constitutional reform to establish a semi-presidential regime that facilitates governability. It would consist of the direct election of the President of the Republic, who would be given executive power, as is the case in France. Francesco Lollobrigida, Meloni’s right-hand man, explained on Monday that it is necessary to remove “the obstacles” of the Magna Carta that pose “damage” to the citizens. “We have a beautiful constitution, but it is 70 years old,” said Lollobrigida, who said he was willing to negotiate with the opposition on this reform, which the left does not want to hear about at the moment.
Another sticking point for the new Conservative government may come from its relationship with the unions. In an autumn and winter that is expected to be difficult due to inflation, the energy crisis and the foreseeable economic recession, unions will not shake hands as they protest against a right-wing executive. “The power stations will feel with freer hands to call strikes now that the left is no longer in power. The places can put pressure on Meloni both for economic reasons and if he decides to make a decision that is seen as a backsliding of civil rights,” said Curini.
Source: La Verdad
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