The pressure on Tajani. He is annoyed by Zangrillo’s comments. And now he fears intervention from the Berlusconi family

To say that he did not take kindly to Minister Paolo Zangrillo’s interview with "Il Foglio" would be an understatement. Antonio Tajani is said to be deeply annoyed. After all, within the parliamentary groups, the Minister for Public Administration’s remarks – the accusation that he had not been consulted before the plan to cut red tape was launched, indeed only once it was a fait accompli, as well as the frustration over the handling of party conferences – were the talk of the town throughout yesterday. These comments were particularly well received by the faction closest to the Berlusconi family. And, according to rumours circulating amongst the ‘Azzurri’, they were also read with great attention in the Segrate and Cologno Monzese areas. At a time when Attilio Fontana and Massimiliano Romeo are putting pressure on Salvini (yesterday at the Versiliana: “This won’t do; we want solutions from the secretary before Pontida. Zaia must be involved.” Before being challenged by Salvini’s supporters), the clash between a Forza Italia minister and his secretary risks becoming yet another watershed moment for the centre-right. Not least because, up until now – and this, it seems, is what has annoyed Tajani – dirty laundry had always been washed at home. Now, however, we have reached the point where Zangrillo is reposting his comments on social media, and Minister Piantedosi is giving them a ‘like’. More than the differences that have emerged over the lack of recognition for the Public Administration Minister’s work in tackling bureaucracy, however, what has not gone unnoticed by the secretary’s camp are, above all, the references to a party that is ‘definitely more open and more willing to work as a team. Where those who express an idea differing from the official position should not feel uncomfortable. Otherwise, we won’t get very far”, as Zangrillo pointed out. The same applies to the criticism regarding the party conference season. When Tajani visited Marina Berlusconi at the Mediaset offices last April, in addition to the handover between Paolo Barelli and Enrico Costa, it was decided that conferences would only be held where there was unity of purpose. Now, however, with a new summit between the secretary and the family approaching – due to take place by the end of the month, perhaps at the residence in Châteauneuf-de-Grasse – Tajani finds himself facing party conferences on the verge of imploding, such as the one in Campania, where a group of MPs is drafting a political document to denounce ‘serious irregularities’. Not to mention the tensions surrounding the by-elections in Calabria.

To elect a replacement for Francesco Cannizzaro (who has since become mayor of Reggio Calabria), on 26 and 27 September Forza Italia is fielding (at the behest of Governor Occhiuto) Fabio Roscioli, the party’s treasurer and long-standing lawyer for Fininvest, as well as a key figure for the family in Rome (alongside, of course, Gianni Letta). However, as reported by Il Fatto, Tajani is said to be targeting Roscioli’s replacement as treasurer. This is because that role is crucial for drawing up the candidate lists. Keeping a ‘man of Marina’ in such a central position would significantly restrict the secretary’s room for manoeuvre in selecting candidates. For this reason, the handover is said to have been planned for the autumn. This might be justified by citing the election that has taken place and the subsequent failure to secure re-election upon the expiry of the term.

In Campania, as mentioned, the organisation of the party conference is tearing apart the temporary peace within the regional party. In July, it was decided that the congress should be held in September. And the very fact that all the procedures were to take place in August – practically under a beach umbrella – had already annoyed many. As things stand, the only candidate is the outgoing regional coordinator Fulvio Martusciello, who is also head of the Forza Italia delegation in Brussels. “But he’s also the congress’s guarantor, head of communications – everything,” people grumble in Naples. There is another issue: the very date of the congress – 9 September, a Wednesday afternoon – as has been pointed out in Rome, is at the very least at odds with the maximum commitment that Prime Minister Meloni has demanded of the majority parliamentary groups to try to pass the electoral law as quickly as possible. Especially after the debate over preferential voting was indeed resolved at leadership level. But as things stand, Tajani’s most recent meeting with the senators remains the one in which, at Palazzo Madama, it was made clear to him that the bulk of the party remained opposed to that imposition: “If you want, we’ll vote for it, but it’s your decision.” In any case, the Forza Italia MPs from Campania, as mentioned, are tabling a political document to highlight the clear rift within the regional party. So much so that it is already taken for granted that the party conference will end in a legal battle.

Not exactly ideal, of course, for a visit to Marina, who had advised against such conferences. It is not known whether the discussion will also focus on the electoral law. But one of the key issues will undoubtedly be end-of-life care, given that Stefania Craxi herself wrote in "Il Foglio" that “Forza Italia must fight for end-of-life care at all costs”. It is well known that on this issue, as on civil rights, the Cavaliere’s daughter’s stance is very liberal. Meanwhile, within the party, differing positions still persist. And perhaps not even the secretary has yet decided what to do. Against this backdrop of tension and discontent, in short, Tajani is heading into a September which, between the resumption of parliamentary business and difficult challenges on the international stage, risks being an extremely heated period for him and for Forza Italia. Especially if the meeting at the end of the month once again paints the picture, as it did in April, of a leader under ‘special administration’. Perhaps this pressure also explains the Deputy Prime Minister’s irritation at certain remarks – those made by Zangrillo – which (so the fear goes) could trigger a domino effect of critical outbursts.