New government and no diktat. And in the PNRR Giorgia Meloni attacks Draghi

The centre-right executive, led by the Brothers of Italy, “if the President of the Republic gives us the mandate, it will be political, strong and cohesive, with a clear program, a popular mandate and a political president”. Despite not revealing the names and boxes of the future team of ministers, Giorgia Meloni makes clear the characteristics that the next government will have. In the more than two hours of meeting at the party offices on via della Scrofa, the premier in pectore confronts the party’s national executive asking for and receiving full confidence and a unanimous mandate to negotiate the formation of the government with the allies.

Negotiations that, according to the president of the FDI, must inevitably lead to an unassailable team. The reason is simple: all eyes are on her, on her work, so nothing can go wrong from the start. “We are ready to do our best. Do our best to solve the Italians’ problems at this very complex and delicate stage”, he says. For this reason, the intention is “to create the most authoritarian and high-level Council of Ministers possible”, noted Meloni during his speech to party leaders. A message addressed to his own, but also to Lega and Forza Italia, so much so that the leader of the Conservatives makes a point of underlining that “this means that it will not be composed to resolve internal party disputes or propose any name or for rents of position”.

On the other hand, there is above all Matteo Salvini and his desire for Viminale. The League secretary says he is “ready for a government post” after having sent the party’s ‘desired’ via Bellerio to his ally (in addition to the Interior, Infrastructure and Transport, Reforms in the key to autonomy, Agriculture and also the presidency of the Senate to which Roberto Calderoli aspires). However, the reasoning that Meloni has in mind for filling in the boxes is clear: “We start from competence, and if the best is found outside the elect, starting from the FdI, this will certainly not be a limit”. In short, technicians capable of enriching the specific weight of an executive are also welcome, but this will not change their “strongly political” nature, because “governments are political when they have a popular mandate, a defined program, a clear vision and leadership”.

Having a Cdm of indisputable depth, due to the skills and personality within it, is however a priority for Meloni, also taking into account the scenario he will have to deal with immediately. “We are facing perhaps the most difficult phase in the history of the Italian Republic – he recalls -: we are in the midst of a conflict, the contours of which seem to become even more rigid; the issue of the pandemic remains unknown; we are experiencing an economic and energy crisis that seems destined causing a domino effect on the prices of raw materials and food products”. If all this were not enough, “we are exposed on the energy supply front and in Europe there is a confrontation without discounts”. It’s not exactly the best time to take over the country. That’s why what he calls an “orderly transition” with the outgoing executive has been underway for weeks. “We have tight deadlines – recognizes the leader of Fdi – but we are ready. And we have the skills and abilities”.

However, there is no lack of an onslaught against the Draghi government when he highlights the fact that “we are inheriting a difficult situation”. Specifically, the reference is to “NRP delays” that are “evident and difficult to recover from”. “We are aware – he adds – that it will be a fault that does not depend on us but that will also be attributed to us by those who determined it”. The left “total short circuit” also ends up on the display. The promise, therefore, is that the next government “make policies in discontinuity in relation to those implemented in recent years by the executives of Pd Tração”.

During the executive, there is also space to celebrate the success of the last September 25th, almost 10 years after the party was founded. At the time, Meloni confesses, “we did not imagine the goals we would have achieved: with pride we reap the fruits of hard work, carried out with determination and perseverance, without ever taking shortcuts. We started from 1.98% to be the first today. 26%”. An unexpected feat that, however, did not lead to celebrations “because it would have been inadequate in relation to the challenges that Italy is experiencing”. “Joy and legitimate satisfaction – he concludes – immediately gave way to pragmatism and a sense of responsibility.” Pragmatism and responsibility needed even more now to avoid a false start.