FLASH
Shkruar nga Anselmo Del Duka
The Italian prime minister finds herself facing a tactical siege, where the political legacy of the Berlusconi family and the strategic demands of Washington threaten the stability of the coalition. This crucial crossroads will test Meloni's ability to maintain popular consensus while balancing covert military obligations to the US...
At an extremely complicated moment, both domestically and internationally, the support of Marina Berlusconi and Donald Trump has not been really welcomed by Giorgia Meloni, who is facing a decisive turning point in her legislative mandate.
The reasons for this concern are undoubtedly different, but the end effect remains similar: both of these interventions promise only headaches for the center-right leader.
In the case of the first child of the founder of the center-right, we are faced with a new political fact: a direct intervention in favor of the "Yes" vote in the referendum on the separation of careers in the judiciary.
This intervention took the form of a public letter to the newspaper “La Repubblica”, the media outlet that Silvio Berlusconi had opposed throughout his political life. The letter was published prominently on the front page, immediately below the main headline on the Iranian conflict, and was accompanied by a respectful and courteous response from Carlo Bonini.
This treatment, usually reserved for important leaders or those in the making, shows Marina Berlusconi's newfound weight. As leader, she is taking concrete action, explaining that a "Yes" victory would not be simply a posthumous triumph for her father, but a necessity that requires the debate to take place beyond the party divisions that are characterizing the campaign.
To many observers, this move seemed like an important strategic move, which Meloni does not have the luxury of affording at this moment, precisely to avoid excessive politicization of the March 22-23 elections.
The arguments of the president of Mondadori and Fininvest appear more like a projection towards the future than a reflection on the past, using a persuasive approach towards the opposing camp of the "No" vote.
This clever move raises the legitimate question of whether this letter does not constitute a further step towards a future political campaign. In short, Marina is filling a gap in the referendum campaign, positioning herself once again as Meloni's only possible mid-term rival for the leadership of the center-right.
And today, Corriere della Sera reported a phone call between Donald Trump and the newspaper's New York correspondent, Viviana Mazza. The former president's words were sweet, but only on the surface.
Giorgia Meloni "always tries to help, she's a great leader and a friend of mine," Trump replied when asked if he considered Italy's actions so far sufficient, after sending a frigate to defend Cyprus and anti-aircraft guns to the Gulf countries.
However, Trump deliberately remained silent, leaving unanswered the question that has recently gripped Italian politics: the possibility of using American bases in Italy to support military operations in the Middle East.
Meloni is expected to speak in parliament on Wednesday, and she could not be more ambiguous. She preceded her comments by repeatedly stating that Italy is not at war and will not enter one.
But its scope regarding the use of bases is strictly limited by bilateral agreements that have regulated this issue since 1954, agreements that are still covered by state secrecy.
The government hopes that the Italian bases will be far enough from the theater of operations that they are not essential to the Americans. Involving them in operations would come at a huge cost to popular consensus, as polls show widespread dissent against the war, even among center-right voters.
Amid this pressure, Meloni has decided to react on another sensitive front: the increase in gas and oil prices. She is racing against time to intervene in excise taxes, a mechanism that is thought to both preserve tax revenues and reduce the burden on citizens and businesses, as the decree approved at the end of February is already considered outdated.
Meanwhile, on the international stage, it has managed to rejoin the weighty European coalition, an alignment that was not initially guaranteed. But acting as a bridge between the two sides of the Atlantic is proving increasingly difficult.
Its alignment with influential Europeans is almost a forced choice to avoid isolation, constantly hoping that the White House will not present the fatal request for the use of Italian bases in the war against Iran. / Prepared by Pamphlet
Lini një Përgjigje