Meloni, Mattarella and de facto semi-presidentialism
Mattarella's role with the Meloni government. Damato's Scratches
Also this year, therefore, reading the quirinalists who dealt with it to provide the usual previews, Sergio Mattarella would have decided to pronounce his New Year's message standing up to be transmitted to unified public and private networks. This he did last year, but in a way, not obvious this time, that the cameras could also film the outside of the building, as if to make it clear that he can't wait to complete the move he had already started in view of the expiry of the seven-year mandate . Which is already too long on its own to lightly aspire to replicate it, that is, to double it, as well as many, even on the street, urged him to accept.
Despite his repeated denials, public and private, we all listened to that speech of a year ago, deliberately also as a farewell speech, to grasp any element that might give us hope for a second thought by the president. Which did not arrive also because in the meantime, in the traditional end-of-year press conference, Prime Minister Mario Draghi had practically made himself available to succeed him, as a "grandfather at the disposal of the institutions". At that point, a change of position by the outgoing head of state risked appearing hostile to the man whom Mattarella himself had also called into service to lead a government facing multiple emergencies, even at the cost of accusing, suspecting and so on. of "conticide" by the admirers of the tenant of Palazzo Chigi imposed by the grillini and suffered first by Matteo Salvini's League and then by Nicola Zingaretti's Democratic Party. Who even allowed himself to be convinced by Matteo Renzi – think about it – still a member of that party to disregard the commitment to go through a round of early elections before allying himself with the 5 Star Movement.
Mattarella however in the end agreed to be re-elected, but only after Draghi himself had asked him personally, I would even say desperately, for the risk of seeing who knows who and who knows how arrive at the Quirinale, adding to the already too many emergencies with which he was grappling his government also one of an institutional character.
Confirmed in his post by hook or by crook, Mattarella has certainly not had a year off. And he has doubled, in addition to his presidential mandate, his credibility inside and outside Italy. Those interminable applauses of thanks raised towards him last December 7 at the Teatro della Scala, longer than those of the previous year to ask him to let himself be confirmed, were the plastic manifestation – I would say – of the centrality that this President of the Republic has been able to conquer and deserve even with the Constitution unchanged, and with a government once again led by a leader, this time finally also of the female gender, voted for by the voters, even before being selected by the head of state.
Stefano Folli is not wrong to write today in Repubblica of "a de facto semi-presidentialism", although denied by the interested party first, which with Mattarella would have been created even before it is possible – if it will ever succeed – to create one by right. And to add that "the 22nd is also Mattarella's year ". Other than the year of Berlusconi celebrated by Giuliano Ferrara on the Foglio with a spirit of revenge on those who consider the almost thirty years of the Cavaliere by now consummated.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/meloni-mattarella-e-il-semipresidenzialismo-di-fatto/ on Sat, 31 Dec 2022 06:43:51 +0000.