After the electoral defeat, the PDL is trying to restart from Angelino Alfano who yesterday was unanimously indicated by the presidency's office as the new secretary. An office not envisaged by the Statute, so much so that it will have to be ratified by a forthcoming National Council, after the appropriate regulatory modification. The three coordinators will also remain in the field, but only until the next Congress and with limited functions: Verdini will deal with organization, La Russa with propaganda and Bondi (who resigned, but frozen) with values. Nothing decided however on the succession of Alfano in via Arenula. Even if hypotheses and organizational charts had been circulating throughout the day.
There was talk of Cicchitto and Lupi, both recalcitrant, but also of a transfer of Elio Vito who, in this case, would have left the ministry of relations with Parliament free for a frantic Scaiola. Scaiola was also talked about as a possible third coordinator, but the freezing of Bondi has closed the road for now. However, it was Alfano himself who explained that he would not leave the government before having completed "the anti-mafia strategy and the reform of the civil trial".
Berlusconi then argued that the electoral defeat was the consequence "of a pincer of the media against us", but that the majority and the government will go ahead with the reforms and only at the right time will it be decided whether he will still be the candidate for prime minister for 2013 or Alfano. Will the indication of the Alfano secretariat be enough to keep together a PDL in which tensions are not lacking? It's not for sure. Many problems remain open, starting with those between the prime minister and Tremonti, who is being asked to widen the purse strings for tax reform, after having reminded him that it is up to him only to propose but not decide.
By the way, yesterday the Minister of Economy attended the Bureau in a disciplined manner. But even the president of the Lombardy region, Formigoni, did not fail to note that to give a strong signal it would have been better to start with the government rather than with the party. And then there are the grumblings of Scaiola and his supporters. Outside the confines of the Pdl, then, the League seems to consider the alliance with Berlusconi as now more and more long-term. Against a close background are the referendums of 12 and 13 June (including nuclear), which the opposition consider a new referendum on the prime minister with very strong political value, given that the abolition of the legitimate impediment is also at stake.
Here too the PDL plays defense. Thus, after Minister Romani had expressed his complete surprise at the Cassation's decision to hold the consultation on nuclear power, Berlusconi and the presidency's office decided to give freedom to vote. And in the aftermath of the referendum results, the government will also have to face the parliamentary verification of the post-reshuffle, requested by the head of state and scheduled by the Senate group leaders after 20 June.
