Meloni and ghosts: Marina B. wants to prevent the “record”. The air is thick with the smell of a scandal. Giorgetti’s “excise duties”

Marina Berlusconi could spoil Meloni’s party. Are you sure Meloni will set the record for the longest-serving government on 4 September? There are rumours of a parliamentary crisis, centring on wiretaps and voting preferences, and it is a serious matter, causing the greatest concern within FdI. If you speak to officials in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, they will tell you that we must be prepared for any scenario and that governments these days tend to fall in July. The Draghi government fell on 20 July. Meloni’s party is convinced that Marina Berlusconi wants to sabotage the electoral law to prevent Meloni from surpassing her father’s tenure. These are clearly the ghosts haunting Palazzo Chigi these nights. Next Tuesday, the Justice Decree containing the provision on wiretaps will reach the Senate, and it is seen as a potential ‘Sarajevo shot’. A compromise on preferential voting has been reached, but it is not enough for the Berlusconi family. Meloni’s party is factoring in the possibility that Forza Italia may vote against both the wiretapping provisions and the amendment on preferential voting in the Senate. Meloni continues to say that if the amendment does not pass, “we’ll be out of a job”. FI retorts that “it is Meloni who is looking to cause a crisis; we won’t give her that gift”.

For the Berlusconi family, the best law is the Rosatellum because it allows Forza Italia to play a central role. The numbers are shifting. Vannacci’s party is now moving closer to Forza Italia. Yesterday, Meloni held talks with Giorgetti on variable excise duties and the high cost of petrol, following two days of continuous price rises. Meloni wants to send a signal, to make it clear that work is underway to try and mitigate the situation. There are no resources available, but Meloni is asking Giorgetti to find them: “We must take action”. They will be found, but the Budget Bill remains effectively held hostage. Durigon’s Lega wants clear action on pensions, and Giorgetti has already confided to friends: “I’d rather resign than wreck the books.” It’s more than just a rumour. FdI is said to already have its candidate lists ready, a plan with seats allocated. It is Marina who has the power to scupper the summer recess, the record (and a government).