Despite his 81 years, Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella puts in an enormous workload. He gives a groundbreaking speech practically every day, and his importance is far greater than that of German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier – which can be explained by the political environment in which they operate. Steinmeier mainly has representative tasks, Mattarella is the personified counterweight to a right-wing coalition government headed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Although she is pragmatic in office, she is also very goal-oriented as chairwoman of her Fratelli d’Italia party. People cavort there who you have to call post-fascist. And time and again, when their worldview gets through, for example on commemorations or when it comes to migration, those who think differently are grateful for their President Mattarella. He then finds clear words – and is constitutionally equipped with more powers than the German head of state.
Colosimo’s nomination was a provocation
You could see this again with the mafia as an example. The big commemoration event for the most famous Italian mafia hunter Giovanni Falcone took place in Palermo, who was blown up with his bodyguards by a bomb installed under the motorway on May 23, 1992 during a private visit to Sicily despite the greatest secrecy – it was more spectacular hardly at that time.
A few months later, the mafia also caught his longtime friend and comrade-in-arms Paolo Borsellino. It was a great demonstration of power, but also the beginning of the end of the omnipotence of Cosa Nostra. Other groups are now dominating, above all the ‘Ndrangheta from Calabria, organized crime has not been defeated.
Just for this anniversary, Meloni has now boxed a close companion to the post of President of the Anti-Mafia Commission. This committee with members from both chambers stands for the – not always self-evident – fight of the politicians against the mafia. The Commission has judicial powers, it can instruct the police to carry out investigations. Anyone testifying before the panel is legally required to tell the truth. A commission that is important and that is best of all non-partisan, one would think.
In that sense, the nomination of Fratelli d’Italia politician Chiara Colosimo was a provocation: a 36-year-old local politician whose greatest qualification is proximity to the prime minister, who like her grew up in the Roman suburb of Garbatella. Above all, however, there are indications of an earlier proximity to right-wing terrorist circles. One picture shows her with Luigi Ciavardini, a convicted cop killer. He was also convicted of the 1980 Bologna train station massacre in which 85 people died.
“The division of institutions is good for the mafia”
Colosimo denies having been friends with Ciavardini. The contact was purely official and came about through his commitment to the rehabilitation of prisoners. But distrust has been sown, and representatives of the opposition and numerous associations of mafia victims have been imploring Meloni for days to replace their candidate. But she remained undeterred, on Tuesday Colosimo was elected, only with the votes of the right-wing majority, while the opposition left the hall in protest. “The division of institutions is good for the mafia and bad for the country. Is it worth it, President Meloni?” commented the opposition politician Silvio Lai.
The losers are now, as so often, quoting President Mattarella, who on the anniversary of Falcone’s assassination called the mafia “a cancer of civil society,” “a criminal organization robbed of all honor and dignity.” Measures to combat the mafia must be continued with commitment and ever greater determination,” said the President, whose words are particularly important given the fact that his brother was also murdered in 1980.
A lesson from Falcone is for all time: “The mafia can be defeated and is doomed.” The divided commission has to find that much determination again.