“I have listened to all voices in parliament and recorded with care and respect. In the next few hours, I will take the necessary initiatives to resolve the government crisis". These are the first words of the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, a few minutes after receiving the last political delegation, the Democratic Party, at the Quirinale, at the end of three days of consultations which should then lead, by Monday at the latest, to the decision on the position to form a new government.
Mattarella has declared his willingness to get out of the government crisis as soon as possible, however underlining the country's need to have a government with full functions to deal with internal and international emergencies: “There is a general need for harmonization – added the Head of State -. I hope that the political climate can be articulated, in a dialectical, but serene and constructive way".
Mattarella's position would therefore seem very close to that of the Democratic Party, i.e. a government of national responsibility, “with the widest possible political participation”, as said by Luigi Zanda, group leader in the senate just after the conversation with the Head of State. This hypothesis would also confirm the pole position of Paolo Gentiloni's candidacy, for a government that is indeed transitional, but not as fast as requested by the opposition, starting with the 5 Star Movement but also with Forza Italia and Lega Nord, which have not given their willingness to participate in a hypothetical government of broad understandings. In the case of the Lega and M5S, and also the Brothers of Italy, they were instead asked to go to the elections as soon as possible, just long enough to collect the verdict of the Consulta on the electoral law, expected for next January 24th.
Here are the statements of the representatives of the various parties.
Democratic Party: support for Mattarella - "We have recorded a very large refusal by the opposition to a government of national responsibility and we have assured the head of state of all the support of the Democratic Party for the solution of the crisis that he deems most appropriate". This was stated by Luigi Zanda, leader of the Democratic Party at the end of the consultations. “The goal is always to go to the vote as quickly as possible”.
Five Star Movement: rapid times for the vote – “Today in Italy we have two different electoral laws that generate a malicious institutional paralysis generated by the irresponsibility of the political class led by Renzi and the Democratic Party. This is why we asked that the fastest institutional path be chosen for the elections ”, said the group leader Giulia Grillo. With the electoral law that will be judged by the Consulta in the coming weeks. “Renzi, his entire government, and the Democratic Party have failed – he added – It is not our assertion, but an affirmation certified by the vote. Any new top-down government would not have popular legitimacy and if in continuity with the previous one it would impose the same economic recipes of tears and blood”. A tweet from Beppe Grillo then arrived: “The will of the citizens must be respected. Vote now".
Berlusconi: new electoral law and then to the vote - "We are not willing to join any government," announced Silvio Berlusconi as soon as he left, thus responding indirectly to Alfano's request for a responsible government made in the late morning to all political forces. A clear no to large agreements that of Forza Italia. “It's up to the Democratic Party to express and support a government for the remainder of the term, which must be as short as possible. We illustrated to Mattarella what seems to us to be the only possible way, the rapid approval of a new shared electoral law to then allow Italians to express themselves with the vote".
Alfano: Government of Common Responsibility - “We reaffirmed that we are in favor of a common responsibility of all willing forces who will have a common sense of belonging to form a government to deal with the emergency. This is the way and we entrust ourselves to the President of the Republic, even if we hope that not only Berlusconi will enter the majority to support an executive that has such important goals”.
