What the center-right said in the square
Paola Sacchi's note on the closing of the electoral campaign in Rome, in Piazza del Popolo, of the center-right
The united center-right presents itself, after two years, with the leaders together for the closing of the electoral campaign in Rome, in Piazza del Popolo. It is the image of a coalition that is preparing to win and govern, "for five years, with a solid, cohesive government, strong in the popular mandate," says Giorgia Meloni.
Today the leaders will return to make separate closings, according to the three-pointed scheme with Silvio Berlusconi in Milan, Matteo Salvini in a social marathon, after having collected 30,000 kilometers far and wide, Meloni in Naples. It is the president of FdI who closes the event in Rome, where she plays at home. The climate between the leaders on stage, together with Maurizio Lupi of “Noi moderati”, is unitary and friendly. Salvini also takes selfies with the FdI militants who crowd the Roman square. Berlusconi begins with the common thread that unites the entire center-right, that of the battle against "the left", for which the founder of the coalition took the field 28 years ago, "against fiscal, bureaucratic and judicial oppression".
The "fighter" for "freedom" immediately warms up the square calling the allies by name, remembering that "we are the majority of Italians". The distinctions disappear. But it is not just a photo opportunity : the government that we “go to take”, as Antonio Tajani, vice president and coordinator of FI says, in the event of victory, will inevitably be a powerful glue of the coalition. Although the task "will be heavy", comments the Italian senator Maurizio Gasparri.
But the coalition is back from four governments and together it leads 14 out of 20 Regions. The leader of the League attacks, like Berlusconi, the campaign "of discredit made by the left against us". "But we – underlines Salvini – do not insult, we bring proposals". Salvini in the evening in the marathon of leaders from Bruno Vespa on Rai1 brings with him the president of the Italian blind union, Mario Barbuto, candidate of the League in Palermo, to also underline the great theme of disability.
The clash with the Democratic Party rekindles on presidentialism. Meloni, concluding the meeting: “Are they afraid of me? Our? The left is afraid of losing its system of power ”. And relaunches on the flag theme of presidentialism: "We would be happy to do it also with the left", but, he warns, "If we have the numbers we will be able to do it alone". The controversy with the Democratic Party is immediately unleashed. Enrico Letta counterattacks and again raises the alarm: "They want to change the anti-fascist Constitution by themselves".
The secretary of the Democratic Party, who will close the electoral campaign today also in Piazza del Popolo, in the face of Putin's serious threats had also said in an interview with "La Repubblica" that a center-right victory would be a "gift" to the Russian president and a "threat" for Europe.
But the coalition squares. Salvini: “We are on the side of freedom, of the West. Sanctions are right that there are, but Europe puts an umbrella for the backlash in countries like Italy ”. The president of FdI recalls that the center-right has always voted in support of Ukraine, unlike Letta's "electoral allies" such as the leader of the Italian Left, Nicola Fratoianni. And Berlusconi reiterates that "Forza Italia is the pro-European and Atlanticist guarantor" of the future government.
The Cav from Vespa to “Porta a Porta” gives its own version of Putin's escalation, according to which he was convinced by the pro-Russians of the Donbass to war against Ukraine. Matteo Renzi, with Carlo Calenda, in the "third pole", attacks him: "On Putin Berlusconi is not reliable". The third-party challenge in FI, to try not to let the center-right win and have an encore Draghi, lights up in the final rush. While from the South Giuseppe Conte relaunches and becomes insidious in some colleges even for the center-right, if sectors of the Democratic Party will make a disguised desistance with him.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/cosa-ha-detto-il-centrodestra-in-piazza/ on Fri, 23 Sep 2022 05:17:06 +0000.