The ordeal has proved far more fatiguing than in past years - and not merely because of the heat of this first summer election campaign, with results leaving many excluded - even key players. In its wake, there is much disappointment, many bidding goodbye.
Arriving right on the brink of internal collapse, as was the case within Forza Italia and in the PD, those who remain are candidates with more or less familiar faces - a few VIPs and a small handful of mayors. This will be the first election to proceed with a parliament capped at 600 elected members, 400 members of the Chamber and 200 members of the Senate, due to constitutional reform sought by the M5S.
With just enough time to hand over the folders of lists to the Courts of Appeal, phase two has kicked off: the official election campaign. On the starting line is Giorgia Meloni, who has commenced her campaign in Ancona. After a super debate with almost all the other leaders - excluding Giuseppe Conte of the M5S - at the Rimini Meeting, the leader of Fratelli d'Italia will campaign in the region that her party governs with its president Francesco Acquaroli.
Rallies aside, the campaign is already in full swing. And it is consumed with tweets (both rehashed and new), videos, and cross-proposals, the conflicting fronts growing increasingly polarised, dominated by toxic internal relations. It is a 'virus' from which, other than FdI apparently, no party has remained immune, and something that Silvio Berlusconi surely knows plenty about. After a long meeting at Villa Certosa and more than one marathon night, Forza Italia has played its trump cards, and the revolt of the territories has begun. From Basilicata to Veneto via Molise, the locals are protesting against candidates being ‘parachuted in’ from Rome. The President of the Senate, Elisabetta Casellati - who is running in the Lucania region’s single-member constituency, having effectively undermined local Undersecretary Giuseppe Moles – is now caught in the crosshairs. And so is the Bolognese group leader Anna Maria Bernini, who is aiming for the Padua constituency and disrupting the party in Veneto. President of Serie A football club S.S. Lazio, Claudio Lotito, is under fire for agitating the small region of Molise.
Unrest was also experienced among the Democrats. Luca Lotti was excluded, and he is convinced that he ended up a victim of cross-revenge between Dem and former supporters of Matteo Renzi. More fortunate was Undersecretary Enzo Amendola, who was in the balance but 'fished out' right at the end in Basilicata. But the aftermath continues, with grumblings from the many who have been placed in very uncertain constituencies. A few have also been farewelled from the party, such as senators Gianni Pittella and Dario Stefano. Among the big wigs there have been few surprises. Berlusconi is preparing for his grand return to the Senate, with multiple candidacies in Piedmont, Lazio, Campania and in ‘his’ Monza. Also lined up in Lombardy is his partner Marta Fascina, in the Chamber, while his loyalists Antonio Tajani and Licia Ronzulli share Lazio and Lombardy.
Enrico Letta leads the PD list in Milan and ‘trespasses’ in Veneto, presenting a challenge to Lega on his turf. For his debut in parliament, Conte is betting on the constituencies of Lombardy, Apulia, Campania and Sicily. His predecessor in the M5S, Luigi Di Maio, is playing for Naples-Fuorigrotta. For Matteo Salvini, the challenge is open in Milan, while in Rome the duel is between Emma Bonino of +Europa and Carlo Calenda, allies only for a few hours.
Less painful is the ‘birth’ of the Fratelli d’Italia lists: favoured by the polls and overbooked with candidacies (having been so far in opposition), they published the complete list on their website. There are five constituencies for Meloni (Abruzzo, Latium, Lombardy, Apulia and Sicily). Former minister Giulio Tremonti will be on track in Lombardy and former prosecutor Carlo Nordio in Veneto. There are a few non-political new entries. From TV comes Rita Dalla Chiesa, candidate in Apulia with FI; from publishing, Antonio Angelucci, who has chosen the Lega. From sport comes former Formula One driver Emerson Fittipaldi, who will be in the FdI South American constituency. Another sportsman is volleyball player Luigi Mastrangeli, running for the Lega. The PD deploys economist Carlo Cottarelli and virologist Andrea Crisanti, who is set to spark for yet another clash regarding vaccines.
