THESenate Hall will have to express himself with clear vote on the decadence of Silvio Berlusconi. This was established by the Council for the regulation of Palazzo Madama, which - after the tensions and the postponement of yesterday evening - today reached a definitive decision. Of the 14 members of the Giunta, seven voted openly and six voted secretly, while the president of the Senate Pietro Grasso, as per practice, did not vote.
The tip of the balance was Linda Lanzillotta: “The one on Berlusconi's decadence will not be a vote on the person, but on his status as a parliamentarian, therefore the secret ballot will not be necessary – said the senator of Civic Choice -. We are not reinterpreting the regulation, because it is the first time that the Severino law has been applied".
The members of the Chamber will therefore have to assume responsibility for their vote and answer for any defections with respect to the indications of the respective parliamentary groups. A condition that further reduces the Knight's already slim chances of escaping expulsion from Parliament. According to reports from the Ansa news agency, the former prime minister received the news with such irritation that he canceled a lunch already scheduled with deputy prime minister Angelino Alfano and the rest of the PDL government delegation.
Meanwhile, the party unites around its leader. According to the group leader Pidiellino in the Senate, Renato Schifani, the Giunta wrote today “a dark page for the parliamentary rules”, which “cannot fail to have consequences. We will give concrete answers with the utmost determination”.
The head of the PDL deputies took the same line: "An absurd and unprecedented decision from the council against Berlusconi - wrote Renato Brunetta on Twitter –. A decision contra personam and without any sense. Unacceptable".
The comment from Louis Zanda, leader of the Democratic Party in the Senate, who considers the decision of the Giunta "correct", since it did not involve "any interpretation or any modification of the regulation".
In the morning the Prime Minister, Enrico Letta, had prevented any threat to the stability of the government by reiterating the need to keep "individual legal proceedings separate from the action of the Executive".
