Silvio Berlusconi in the end chose the path of the "experiment", as the senator of Forza Italia, Paolo Romani, defined it in the afternoon. The force leader will not grant external support, will not vote for confidence, but will consent de facto the birth of a government formed by M5s and Lega.
After more than two months of political stalemate, when the creation of a neutral government that would lead the country towards early elections now seemed the only possible way, Matteo Salvini and Luigi Di Maio find the long-awaited agreement. With the "approval" of the former Cavaliere, the center-right separates: Forza Italia will go to the opposition, the Lega to the Government without however any rift.
THE WORDS OF BERLUSCONI
Berlusconi entrusts his motivations to a note issued in the evening. Despite the separation de facto yes, the leader of Forza Italia argues that "the Lega-M5S government" does not mark the end of the center-right alliance: the many collaborations in regional and local governments remain, a common story remains, the common commitment made with the voters". In short, we govern the territory together, but at the national level we go in two different directions.
“If another political force of the centre-right coalition decides to take on the responsibility of creating a government with the five stars, we respectfully acknowledge the choice – continues the note -. It is certainly not up to us to veto or prejudge. In this case we will certainly not be able to vote for confidence. You can't ask us more, even in the name of the commitments we have made with the voters".
Forza Italia will not vote for confidence, but by abstaining, it will still allow the birth of the new yellow-green executive.
"The country has been waiting for a government for months. I continue to believe that the most natural, most logical and most coherent solution to the crisis with the voters' mandate would be that of a centre-right government, the coalition that prevailed in the elections, led by an exponent indicated by the League, a government that would certainly have found in Parliament the votes necessary to govern. This road - reads the note - was not considered practicable by the Head of State. I take note". If a Lega-M5S government "could not be born, no one will be able to use us as an alibi in the face of the inability - or objective impossibility - of reaching agreements between very different political forces".
“Faced with the prospects that are emerging – continues Berlusconi -, today we cannot give our consent to a government that includes the Five Star Movement, which has demonstrated even in recent weeks that it does not have the political maturity to assume this responsibility. We have always said this, and as far as we are concerned, a negotiation has never even begun, neither of a political nature, let alone on people or on assignments to be assigned ".
What will happen?
With Silvio Berlusconi's step backwards, "the ball" passes into the hands of Salvini and Maio, but the road towards the birth of a political government goes back downhill. The turning point came in the morning, when the two leaders, after a face-to-face meeting in the Chamber, asked the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, for another 24 hours to try to form a political government, thus putting the office on stand-by to a “neutral” premier.
At this point Lega and M5s will have to start negotiating names. Together they will have to decide on a third party who will lead the new government and the division of the most important seats. However, it is difficult to think that names unwelcome to Forza Italia will arrive in the heaviest ministries. When asked by reporters on leaving Montecitorio, Di Maio denied that there have already been meetings with the League to define the names of those who could enter the executive.
In all likelihood at this point, the two leaders will have 48 hours to reach an official agreement. On Thursday, President Sergio Mattarella will be in Fiesole for an international meeting with other European heads of state that will keep him busy throughout the day. Then he will go to Palermo where, on Friday morning, he will participate in a study conference on public accounting. The return to Rome is scheduled for Friday at lunchtime.
