We go ahead with the hard line and Marcello Foa stays where he is. "I am still waiting for the shareholder's instructions and in the meantime I will continue, in full compliance with laws and regulations, to coordinate the work of the board as a senior director". This is what Foa affirmed after lupon rejection received in the Supervisory Commission who on 1 August – as expected – rejected his appointment as president of Rai. The non-approval of the journalist indicated by the Government to preside over public television was made possible thanks to the "non-vote" of the Forza Italia MPs, who sided with Pd and Leu against the ratification of the appointment.
However, the No of Parliament did not push the former journalist of Newspaper to give up his job, supported in this case by Matteo Salvini who in the meantime also hopes to be able to make some progress on the appointments of the Tg. If this were the case, however, any decision could be at risk of annulment (in the event of an appeal to the TAR or the Court of Auditors) because it was taken by a president not within his full powers.
The position of Deputy Prime Minister Di Maio is more cautious: "A president of Rai must be elected: if there is an agreement between the political forces on Foa it is desirable that he return, otherwise it is the political forces who sit in the commission, in their interlocution, who can find an alternative”.
It should be emphasized that Foa, as the most senior director within the board of directors, according to the Rai Statute, has the task of coordinating the work in the absence of a president and a vice president. The latter in turn can be appointed only if the appointment of the president has become "effective", ie he has received the OK from the Supervisory Authority. In short, without a president there cannot be a vice president and if both are missing, it is the most senior councilor who carries out their functions. It is a pity that the most senior director is Foa, that is to say the one who received the No from the Supervisory Commission. A vicious circle that risks going on for days.
The clash over the Rai president is putting a strain on relations in the centre-right and Matteo Salvini does not hide his anger towards Silvio Berlusconi for what he defines as a betrayal. The retaliation would be to "jump the bench" by opening the doors wide to local parliamentarians and councilors - in the many councils administered together - according to him eager to make the leap and go with the League.
The oppositions are already on a war footing: “The Rai board of directors will not be legitimately constituted and in office until a president is appointed who formally takes up his duties through the favorable vote of 2/3 of the Rai Supervisory Board. As regards the circumstance that Foa can in any case preside over the board of directors, according to the law and practice that in the absence of a chairman and a vice-chairman a board of directors is chaired by the senior director, in this case it does not apply, since the Supervisory Board has not given his assent precisely to the fact that director Foa is president and therefore can preside over the council ". Pd deputy Michele Anzaldi writes it on Facebook.
Even tougher is the leader of the Democratic Party at Palazzo Madama, Andrea Marcucci: “If the abusive occupation of Marcello Foa in Rai continues, we are ready to ask the Head of State to receive us. The prerogatives of Parliament in the effectiveness of the office of president are clear, and the M5S and Lega government is distorting them. We must proceed immediately with a new candidacy that passes from the Board of Directors and is voted on by the Supervisory Authority".
.In the meantime, chaos continues to dominate and the situation will continue at least until the board of directors has taken steps to indicate an alternative name to be presented to the Supervisory Commission.
