It begins again. Sixth day, seventh vote, seventh probable black smoke. Yet on Friday evening, after the joint summit between Matteo Salvini, Giuseppe Conte and Enrico Letta, it seemed that the agreement was one step away. The secretary of the Democratic Party had said he was "very optimistic", while the other two had spoken of a probable agreement on "a female president". The name that everyone immediately thought of is that of Elizabeth Belloni, current head of the Italian secret services.
However, as the hours went by, yet another reversal of the face arrived and all certainties crumbled in the face of the No of Italia Viva, Forza Italia and Leu. Some currents of the Democratic Party are also opposed to Belloni's election, despite the fact that his name is appreciated by a prominent exponent such as Goffredo Bettini. Also pay attention to the criticisms coming from Luigi Di Maio, who for the first time since the beginning of the elections took to the field with a vitriolic statement: “I find it indecorous that a high profile like that of Elisabetta Belloni has been thrown into the public debate. Without a shared agreement,” said the foreign minister. “I said it yesterday: before burning names, the agreement of the government majority had to be found. All this, moreover, after the second office of the state was exposed today. This is not good, it is not the right method ”, concluded Di Maio
Expected for this morning new meetings between leaders and within parties, but it seems clear that even the seventh vote is moving quickly towards a stalemate. According to expectations, the Democratic Party should vote for a white ballot, while Lega, Coraggio Italia and Forza Italia have decided to abstain. The Big Voters of the 5 Star Movement will be able to choose between one of the two options.
It should be noted that, starting today, the centre-right will continue divided. "From now on, Forza Italia will discuss and negotiate independently with the other political forces," the party founded by Silvio Berlusconi announced late yesterday evening. A position indirectly confirmed by the coordinator Antonio Tajani, who said this morning: "We will participate in the majority summit" with Matteo Salvini, Enrico Letta, Giuseppe Conte and Matteo Renzi "to try to confront each other and find a solution, the broadest possible" . The result of the fifth vote contributed to splitting the coalition, in which the candidacy of the president of the Senate, Elisabetta Casellati (FI), was sunk by the fire of snipers, many of them from his own party.
Today we start from scratch. Again. In addition to the name of Belloni, those of Mario Draghi and Pier Ferdinando Casini (Forza Italia could converge on the latter). “My name can only be on the table if it represents a moment of unity and convergence. Italy comes before our personal ambitions”. replied Pier Ferdinando Casini to an Ansa reporter.
“We have to try everything we can to square the circle. If you fail to get to the end, and we will try to do this, after which there is the wisdom of Parliament, supporting it is democracy", explained Enrico Letta, adding that the names on which he reasoned "are various, from Draghi, to Mattarella, passing through Cartabia, Severino, Belloni and others like Amato and Casini. Discussions have begun around all these names. Then each one did some checks at his home ”. Once done, “Salvini came out with the usual logic of 'it is I who deal the cards'. This also created a short circuit with the Five Stars".
In the background the figure of the outgoing President always hovers Sergio Mattarella. After the rain of votes (366) received in the sixth vote, interpreted by all as a signal from below, a possible second term is now considered possible, above all by Pd and Italia Viva.
