«I can’t wait to speak in the Senate»- Corriere.it

Daniela Santanchè seems to have one hurry to go to Parliament to explain, refute, clarify. “I can’t wait to be on the benches of the Senate,” said the Minister of Tourism to party and coalition colleagues, who also called her over the weekend to promise that support will not fail.

The case of the two companies Visibilia and Ki Group, whose management is under the attention of the judiciary, continues to agitate the majority. At Palazzo Chigi there is concern, but both Santanchè and Giorgia Meloni show off tranquility and trust. “I have nothing to hide, yesI will fold point by point», the minister promised the prime minister, sure that the parliamentary passage will not be a dead end, but an emergency exit. “I didn’t get any warranty notices, I have no trials, I have no convictions, I really don’t understand all this fury against me», the minister vents at every stop up and down Italy. Capri, Ischia and today Milan, at the Stelline Foundation.

On Thursday in Rome, Saint Peter and Paul are celebrated and on Friday many parliamentarians will make the bridge, so it is probable that Santanchè will have to wait for next week. The road, however, is traced. The group leaders of the M5S Silvestri and Patuanelli wrote to the presidents of the Chamber and Senate to ask for an “immediate” conference of group leaders. The goal is to force the Minister of Tourism, who ended up at the center of a political and media storm, to one urgent information “regarding the serious facts that emerged from the investigation of”Reports”». Opposition parties call for resignation and also from Lega and Forza Italia dissonant voices arose, asking the minister to defend herself in the Chamber. But then the leaders of the Northern League Molinari and Romeo would apologize for publicly goading her to clarify and also Salvini, according to majority sources, he would have called the minister to guarantee them “esteem and closeness”.

The risk of having to leave the armchair at the Tourism you just don’t seem to see it. And if Giuseppe Conte, recalling how “other ministers have resigned for less” (see Maurizio Lupi and Josefa Ditto), also evaluates the hypothesis of the no-confidence motion, Santanché appears to be «thrilled by the opposition’s persistence». However, the minister does not believe that in the end the M5S will take that step. «A distrust would never pass and it would end up reuniting the majority», is the widespread opinion in the entourage of the minister, who really seems to trust Lega and FI: «They would never vote against me, I have all their solidarity». If that’s true Santanchè was furious with Salvinifor the Northern League’s request to report to the Chamber, the two then they made peace and the deputy prime minister and leader of the Carroccio expressed “maximum confidence in his colleagues in office”. This, however, has not completely wiped out the suspicions circulating within FdI: “Someone, in the League and beyond, uses Daniela to hide the bad story of Pini and Minenna”.

As for the premier, everyone inside FdI is convinced that she has “armored Daniela and will never let her go”. How could it be otherwise, given that Meloni has not given up on MEP Carlo Fidanza, who has negotiated a penalty for corruption, nor Augusta Montaruli? The university undersecretary had to resign after a definitive conviction for embezzlement, but she obtained an important position in Rai Supervision. And so Santanché feels in an iron barrel. The 2.7 million loan to be repaid to Invitalia? “They shouldn’t ask me that I only have 5% of Ki Group and I have no positions”, the minister will defend herself in the Chamber, according to what is said among her colleagues. The UAE fund that financed Visibilia with 3 million? «There are no shadows, Negma bought shares in the company». What about the risk of a fraudulent bankruptcy lawsuit? Here too the minister is spreading optimism: «The prosecution has already droppedthere is no bankruptcy and therefore there is no bankruptcy».

The Political Diary newsletter

If you want to stay updated on political news, subscribe to the newsletter “Political Diary”. It is dedicated to Corriere della Sera subscribers and arrives twice a week at 12. Just click here.