Right-wing coalition in Italy: The house blessing is crooked

Even before the formation of a government in Italy, the dispute within the right-wing coalition intensified. Things are seething between the winner of the election, Meloni, and her previous ally, Berlusconi.

He is too experienced in dealing with the media for it to have been a fluke. When Silvio Berlusconi sat down in the Senate auditorium and wrote something large and in plain text on a sheet of paper, he must have expected that the cameramen in the press gallery would also be interested. They photographed the note lying open on the table, and the online edition of the newspaper La Repubblica published the picture. So that everyone can now read what Berlusconi wrote on the sheet: “Giorgia Meloni – bossy behavior, pretentious, arrogant, insulting, ridiculous.”

Berlusconi hits a wall

The media mogul’s unflattering assessment of his coalition partner Meloni. It makes it clear that not even three weeks after the electoral triumph in Italy’s legal alliance, the house blessing is lopsided.

When the new Senate President was elected on Thursday, many from Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party refused to give their approval to Meloni’s confidant, Ignazio La Russa.

Berlusconi then conceded: “We wanted to send a signal. That you can’t veto people. That’s unacceptable.”

Political differences are not the reason for the open dispute in the legal alliance between Berlusconi and Meloni. It’s about Berlusconi running into a wall with his candidate for the future government with the election winner Meloni.

Berlusconi only in the second row

Pierluigi Bersani, former party leader of the Democrats and long-time opponent of Berlusconi, believes that the now 86-year-old multi-billionaire has difficulty sitting in the second row in the right-wing alliance.

“When Berlusconi was still in charge there, he made the cabinet lists. Now Meloni is in the top position and now she’s doing it. Humanly, it’s even understandable that he thinks: ‘It was me who put her on one or the other wise made great.”

Meloni on the shifter

Meloni was youth minister under Berlusconi from 2008 to 2011. Now she sits at the controls of the right-wing alliance. Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party got around 26 percent, more than three times as many votes as Berlusconi’s Forza Italia.

Nevertheless, Berlusconi wants to fill important positions in the cabinet with his people. Former EU Parliament President Antonio Tajani is to become foreign minister. That seems relatively uncontroversial. It’s a bit more difficult when the convicted tax evader Berlusconi wants one of his people to take over the judiciary in the future.

Ronzulli and Meloni enemies

The main reason for the public row with Meloni, however, is apparently Berlusconi’s closest political confidante, Licia Ronzulli. Berlusconi wants the senator as the future health or education minister. Meloni has vetoed it. Background: Ronzulli and Meloni have been enemies for years.

Sometimes it was about offended vanity, for example when Ronzulli wanted to demonstratively remove a chair reserved for Meloni at an event in Rome. Sometimes it was about political differences, when Berlusconi’s confidante sharply attacked those who refused to vaccinate during the corona pandemic, who in turn were defended by Meloni. Current trend: Meloni is making use of her strength as the winner of the election and does not bring the Berlusconi favorite into the cabinet.

Salvini is optimistic

Despite the coalition dispute even before the start of the government, the third man in the leadership trio of the legal alliance is optimistic. The new coalition will hold the entire legislative period, says Lega boss Matteo Salvini.

“The centre-right will rule well for five years. There has been a small accident now. But they will be a good side for the next five years.”

Which Salvini himself wants to be part of. Preferably as Minister of the Interior. But Meloni hasn’t given her okay for that either. A court case is still pending against Salvini in Palermo for his work during his first term as interior minister.

The ambitious goal of the legal alliance: Despite all the disputes about the distribution of posts, the new government should be in place within the next two weeks.