The anger of the opposition over the right-wing agenda accelerating on Autonomy and presidentialism: political exchange between FdI and Lega
Pressing continues from the centre-right for the go-ahead for the reforms of differentiated regional autonomy and the direct election of the prime minister. The majority leaders in the Senate presented in the Chamber an agenda for the motion on Autonomy presented by the Green and Left Alliance, which calls for rapid approval of the bill on Autonomy and for that on presidentialism. The agenda “commits the Senate to approve the bill Calderoli quickly, taking into account the indications and modification proposals shared during the examination in the commission, in line with what is indicated in the government programme", including "the constitutional modification aimed at achieving the maximum form of democracy through the direct expression of the popular will". A provision that arouses protests from the opposition who speak of "political exchange", a trade between FdI and Lega.
What created nervousness in the Hall of Palazzo Madama was first of all the fact that the presentation of agendas was not foreseen during the examination (without general discussion) of the motions, but it is above all the merit of the proposal signed by the four group leaders of the majority that infuriated the opposition, thus leading to the suspension, twice, of the session. "I am sorry to point out to the Chamber that the common discussion on all relevant topics is turning into another lost opportunity", he attacks Francesco Boccia, leader of the Democratic Party in the Senate. “To Calderoli I say that it is no coincidence that 6 out of 9 motions could come out of this hall with a large majority, because these are shared issues that interest Italians. For a minister to dismantle a single motion piece by piece trying to redo what he had already done in the Constitutional Affairs commission and which essentially means 'in the end I decide, because this is the government program', he risks blowing up our agreements and also the relationship between the majority and the opposition ".
AND Joseph De Cristofarogroup leader of Avs in the Senate and president of the Misto group in Palazzo Madama, argues: "Today in the Chamber it emerged clearly that there is a pact between the League and the Brothers of Italy, an exchange between differentiated autonomy and the premiership. The odg presented by the majority group leaders puts the pact in black and white: FdI has doubts about the autonomy and the League about the premiership and then off to the exchange. The division of Italy is up to you and the vote or the direct election of the Prime Minister". He then concludes: "Two very important issues for the country are being discussed as if we were at the cow market. At least today's discussion has the advantage of tearing apart the veil of hypocrisy of the majority".
Enrico Borgo, group leader of Action-IV, ironically: "With this odg to the motion on Autonomy the internal difficulty of the majority is evident. They presented the agenda in an informal way, which betrays how there are precarious balances within the majority". And he underlines: "I would like to remind the exponents of the Italian right, making a joke, that 25 July in history is not the right day to present an agenda", concludes Borghi referring to the same date eighty years ago when the Grand Council of Fascism, the highest collegial body of the regime, met and voted on the agenda presented by the minister Dino Grandiwhich provided for the distrust a Benito Mussolini”.
