By-elections are normally considered a side note in the political stream, but this time, with the reassignment of the Monza constituency, it is appropriate to dig a little deeper. The first point concerns the reason for this consultation, that is, to allocate the senatorial seat that had belonged to Silvio Berlusconi. Adriano Galliani won by a large margin and this has significant political significance. The figure, in fact, represents the continuity of Berlusconi’s history precisely in an area that, together with Milan, constituted the theater of his founding myth. In Brianza is Arcore, where Villa San Martino is located, the decision-making center for all the areas in which Silvio Berlusconi’s path was traced, from business to sport and politics. Galliani was one of the protagonists of this transversal journey, until the last sporting challenge, Monza. Therefore, his election constitutes the tying of a knot to unite the thread of Forza Italia with the future, remaining firmly anchored in its own identity.
It is no coincidence that Galliani’s result was accompanied by statements from Silvio Berlusconi’s eldest sons: “His election testifies to the great affection of the Brianza people towards my father: today his place goes to a person of great human qualities and professionals”, says Marina. “He is the right person to take over the senatorial seat that my father held. His experience, his balance and his determination are a guarantee for the citizens who elected him”, says Pier Silvio. And it is no coincidence that the Azzurri’s words of joy were very oriented towards identity and the momentum effect. National Secretary Antonio Tajani spoke of a “victory with a special flavor”. Alessandro Sorte, coordinator of Forza Italia in Lombardy, wrote about “an important work in the territory”, while Letizia Moratti, who has been leading the Council of Secretaries for a few weeks, declared: “Hence the commitment of the party and the center- the right-wing coalition is relaunched for the good of the country.”
There is also another aspect, relating to the entire alliance: the center-right wins in the elections for a single member, despite a turnout of less than 20%. And this nullifies the common belief that the progressive bloc is better suited for widespread mobilization. In fact, some journalistic analyzes in recent days predicted a surprise for Marco Cappato (center-left candidate in a very broad field, from the Third Pole to the radical left) if there was little participation at the polls. This did not happen, although the vast majority of citizens remained away from polling stations, which shows that certain loyalty schemes have failed. An additional topic to consider for Elly Schlein, who sees himself adding another link to the chain of defeats in the area that has never been broken since he led the Democratic Party.
Source: IL Tempo
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
