No way. Yesterday evening the summit of the group leaders of all the parties sanctioned that for the moment any agreement between the 5 Star Movement and the center-right on the election of the presidents of the Chamber and Senate has been cancelled. And we're back to deadlock.
During the meeting, Forza Italia insisted on Paolo Romani's candidacy for the Senate, asking the Five Stars to meet Silvio Berlusconi. However, the Movement reiterated that it will never vote for Romans, on whom an old conviction for embezzlement weighs, and that it does not even intend to accept a face-to-face between Luigi Di Maio and the former Knight.
“The names will only come out if there is a meeting between the leaders, otherwise the center-right will go with the Romans to the Senate and Giancarlo Giorgetti to the Chamber,” they say from Forza Italia. “They don't agree to discuss the names of the presidencies with the leader of Fi – explained Romani – we asked this question for an hour and they answered us that they wanted to declassify the matter at the group leaders' table”.
In short, Berlusconi does not accept that Di Maio does not want to deal with him. And in order not to be put out of the game, the former Premier has given a precise mandate to his group leaders: from now on, you only negotiate on other positions, on the other hand whoever wants to has to discuss with me about the presidency.
Giulia Grillo, president of the 5-star deputies, replied: “We are confident that there will not be a Nazarene bis. We hope that the night will bring advice so that Salvini's leadership unifies the wisdom of the center-right ". And the grillino group leader in the Senate, Danilo Toninelli, specified: “The League has mentioned Romani's name, we have confirmed that for us he does not qualify, as he was convicted of embezzlement. But this does not mean that we are closed to a centre-right name”.
From the League, Matteo Salvini continues to use conciliatory tones: “Out of respect for the vote of the Italians, I reiterate our willingness to recognize the presidency of one of the two chambers to the 5 stars. All groups are responsible."
What will happen at this point? The rules for electing the Speaker of the Chamber are as follows:
- First ballot: two-thirds majority of MPs
- Second ballot: majority equal to two thirds of the voters
- Third ballot: majority equal to two thirds of the voters
- Fourth ballot: absolute majority of voters
To elect the President of the Senate, however, the system is a bit different:
- First ballot: absolute majority of senators
- Second ballot: absolute majority of senators
- Third ballot: absolute majority of those present
- Fourth ballot: run-off between the two candidates with the most votes in the third ballot
Forza Italia's goal is to bring Romani to the ballot in the Senate, to then seek a side in the Democratic Party. But there is the risk that, with the secret ballot, the Northern League could side with the Five Star Movement precisely to bury Romani's candidacy. In the Chamber, however, the candidacy of Roberto Fico is in the balance, which does not meet the favor even of all the Grillini exponents.
In the first two ballots, scheduled for today, a shower of blank ballots is expected, from the centre-right as well as the centre-left. We will start to get serious from the third vote, scheduled for Saturday.
