For days, Italy’s coalition partners have been arguing over a suspected corrupt State Secretary. Now Premier Conte spoke a word of power – and could have fueled the conflict a good deal.
It is a defeat for Lega boss Matteo Salvini. Until recently, the Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister had resisted a replacement of his party friend and confidant who is under suspicion of corruption. Also in the crucial Cabinet meeting, Salvini and the Lega refused to agree to the dismissal of their Secretary of State Armando Siri.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, however, made use of his competence in directives and, with the support of the coalition partner Five-Star Movement, ordered the expulsion of the Lega man. The decision must still be approved by President Sergio Mattarella, but this is considered a formality. Salvini announced that the Lega would remain in government despite the defeat in the Siri case.
Conflict has come to a head
In recent days, the conflict between the two coalition partners in Italy has become more acute. Among other things, the five-star movement accused Salvini of lacking courage in dealing with allegations of corruption.
The State Secretary in the Ministry of Transport is accused by the Public Prosecutor of Rome corruption. He is said to have created a tailor-made law for a businessman of wind turbines and collected 30,000 euros for this. Indictment is not yet charged.
„What a shouting“
The five-star movement had as loud as the opposition demanded that Lega politicians should resign immediately. Luigi Di Maio of the Five-Star Movement blasphemed: „What a shout the Lega organizes for a Secretary of State.“
On the website, the five-star movement had refilled and bluntly urged Salvini and the Lega to finally show courage and kick Siri out. The Lega should finally show „eggs“ („tirare fuori le palle“), it said on the website of the movement. What made Salvini even more crazy:
„I’m not afraid of anything or anyone, but words have a weight, and if anyone says ‚Salvini, show‘ your eggs, all I remember is that, as Minister of the Interior, I’ll get bullet shells because of the war I’m waging against the mafia So, shut up, work, and stop annoying and offending people. “
For Di Maio, on the other hand, it was a reason to remind Salvini of the balance of power in the current government. Due to the election results in the past years, the five-star movement is currently the strongest party.
Everything just staged?
Some Italian media have speculated that Salvini deliberately fueled this conflict: to have one more reason to leave the government after hoping to win the European elections. To provoke new elections – and if possible in a new legal alliance to become Prime Minister himself.
Opposition leader Nicola Zingaretti of the Democratic Party considers the dispute staged. Both populist parties are only interested in media attention, he said. Against this version speaks that the conflict has become a verbal mud fight and obviously out of control.
