The die is cast. The news had been in the air for at least 24 hours, now it's official: the majority is gone, the crisis is open. It was decreed by Matteo Salvini who wants to give the voters the floor as soon as possible. “Let's go to Parliament immediately to acknowledge that there is no longer a majority, as evident from the vote on the Tav, e let's quickly give the floor back to the voters“, said the deputy premier, breaking the delay after an hour's conversation with Giuseppe Conte, during which he communicated his line to the premier.
However, the crisis will be parliamentary: Conte will not go to Colle asking President Sergio Mattarella to dissolve the Chambers, but will present itself in Parliament for a comparison that tastes so much like (granted) reckoning. And that the clash portends more complicated times and ways than expected, it was understood around 11 in the night when Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte decided to respond to what has now become a political opponent, with a live video statement in the room print of Palazzo Chigi. The meaning of Conte's words is this: Salvini wants to capitalize on the consensus; he comes to explain in Parliament why he wants to abruptly interrupt the experience of government. It is not up to him to summon deputies and senators. Enough with the media slogans: my government worked, it wasn't on the beach.
“Come to Parliament to explain why you want the crisis.” And then: "As I have already clarified in the course of my information given to the Senate on the Russian investigations, I personally do not consider the confrontation between the government and Parliament an annoying tinsel of our democratic system but the true essence of our form of government and in particular of a democracy parliamentarian".
"It will be up to Salvini, in his capacity as senator, to explain to the country - continues Conte - and to justify to the voters who believed in the prospect of change the reasons that lead him to abruptly interrupt" government action. “In Parliament we will have to tell all Italians the truth and we will not be able to hide behind rhetorical statements and media slogans”, he adds.
"Holidays - said the leader of the League - cannot be an excuse to waste time and parliamentarians (unless they want to save their seat at all costs) can go back to work next week, as millions of Italians do". Already in the afternoon, Prime Minister Conte had gone to Colle, probably to inform the Head of State of the state of the art, while the League has therefore opted for the hard line: no reshuffle and no agony.
But on the path to the crisis, and above all on the methods and timing, Conte is now planting himself: “Come to Parliament – he says during the night – to explain why he wants the crisis.” And then: "As I have already clarified in the course of my information given to the Senate on the Russian investigations, I personally do not consider the confrontation between the government and Parliament an annoying tinsel of our democratic system but the true essence of our form of government and in particular of a democracy parliamentarian". So the crisis will be parliamentary and the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella will decide when to convene the Chambers: if on August 19, as Salvini asked in the night rally from Pescara – or in the following week, that is, not before August 20-XNUMX.
"It will be up to Salvini, in his capacity as senator, to explain to the country - continued Conte - and to justify to the voters who believed in the prospect of change the reasons that lead him to abruptly interrupt" government action. “In Parliament, all Italians will have to tell the truth and we will not be able to hide behind it rhetorical statements and media slogans"He adds.
“I will make this crisis the most transparent crisis in Republican history. I reserve the right to contact the presidents of the Chamber and Senate to allow the Chambers to meet again. The passage will have to take place in front of the parliamentarians who are the representatives of the nation and of all citizens. Transparency and change have been the values of this Government and I will ensure that they are respected until the last day". In the end "This government was not on the beach. I will no longer allow the narrative of a government that does not operate to be fed."
What will happen now will presumably be decided by President Mattarella with the presidents of the Chamber and Senate who, not surprisingly, were heard from the Quirinale on Thursday afternoon. Passages of which Mattarella must have spoken with Conte in the "information" meeting in the afternoon. The League and Salvini will put pressure to go to the vote as soon as possible (there was talk of October 13 as the first possible window). And the economic maneuver for 2020 looms in the background.
(Article updated at 23:41 pm on Thursday 8 August 2019)
