Vannacci’s ‘Zaccagnini’. Giannetta, the Fn candidate in Calabria, speaks out: “Femicide exists, and abortion is a right. I used to vote for the DC.”

Saxony, my foot! Do you know why Vannacci could achieve a major victory in Reggio Calabria in the by-elections on 27 and 28 September? Because Vannacci’s right-wing here resembles Meloni’s right-wing. The candidate is Domenico Giannetta, former leader of the Forza Italia group in the regional council, and listen to how he responds to Il Foglio. Giannetta, do you deny that femicide exists? “Femicide is a crime. It exists. It’s a scourge. A murder is a murder and doesn’t change depending on the type.” Do you perhaps want to segregate classes for people with disabilities? “I’m a doctor and I wouldn’t exclude people with disabilities from the classroom, but I’d offer them even more attention.” What about homosexuals? “There are two biological sexes, but sexual orientation is a personal choice.” Will you deport migrants? “If they are stopped without a residence permit, they must be repatriated.” Before entering politics with Berlusconi, who did you vote for? “The Christian Democrats.”

In the Christian Democrats, the doctor was Zaccagnini. Did she like him? “A great figure, just like Misasi.” Is it clear why the general’s doctor, her ‘Zac’, might win? All that’s missing is for him to say: “Don’t vote for me.” Does Meloni really believe she can defeat Vannacci in Reggio Calabria with a candidate like Fabio Roscioli—a gentleman, to be clear—who presents himself as an ‘outsider’ and avoids televised debates? Roscioli is the treasurer of Forza Italia, whom Tajani has decided to field in the by-election in place of Ciccio Cannizzaro, who was elected mayor of Reggio Calabria. Tajani, too, had his reservations, but Roscioli is a figure dear to Marina Berlusconi, and it is already known that he will be tasked with drawing up the electoral lists on behalf of the family. Roscioli is not Calabrian, and he makes no secret of it; he is a ‘parachute candidate’, but one could say, as Roscioli himself has candidly admitted: ‘I am Cannizzaro and Occhiuto’s candidate. The help I’ve been asked to provide is temporary”? When the party leaders of FdI and the Lega heard this, they asked themselves: “So why, then, should we vote for you?”. If Giannetta is elected, a seat on the regional council will become vacant. In your opinion, do the first unelected candidates from Forza Italia support Roscioli or Giannetta? The left has a candidate, another doctor, Frank Benedetto, who could capitalise on the split on the right. The government fears that, even if Vannacci and Giannetta do not win, they could still cause others to lose.

Giannetta’s idea comes from Domenico Furgiuele, the ‘Ferragamo who loves Mussolini’, who supports the most extreme right. Ignazio La Russa, who has taken on the roles of deputy secretary of FdI, President of the Senate and shadow Prime Minister, is said to have asked Giuseppe Scopelliti, the former regional president, to help Roscioli by campaigning on his behalf. This represents yet another remarkable contradiction. Scopelliti was the protégé of that very same Ciccio Franco, the MSI senator known for his ‘Death to those who give in’ slogan, the Reggio uprisings, the insurrection – in short, Reggio’s sovereignty. Seeing Scopelliti backing a Forza Italia candidate whom Calabria doesn’t even know has left the city bewildered. There is also a curious incident. In 2020, Cannizzaro, in an attempt to thwart the mayoral candidacy of Antonio Minicuci of the Lega, went so far as to call him a ‘foreigner’. It is ironic that Minicuci was born in Melito di Porto Salvo, thirty kilometres from Reggio Calabria. Who is the bigger outsider? Minicuci or Roscioli, who is from Rome? Giannetta has always been a Berlusconi loyalist, a friend of the late Jole Santelli, former president of the region, and he even gave up his seat in Parliament to return to serving as a councillor. He began his political career as a provincial and metropolitan councillor, eventually rising to the role of group leader in the regional council – twenty years with Forza Italia – and now he is leaving. Why? Giannetta explains: “Because in Calabria, Forza Italia is now run in a clique-like and self-serving manner.” They say you are a traitor. What is your response? “I have given up an important role once before, and now for the second time. I could easily have stayed on as group leader’. Are you a moderate? “I’m right-wing and moderate, and I hope to bring Vannacci the votes of the right and the moderates”. Were you a close friend of Occhiuto’s? “A close friend. I was, and I’m sorry to hear his words against me. It’s not like him to use such language. It’s a sign that he’s lost his cool. Freedom also means the freedom to choose different paths without being attacked with that sort of language. I won’t speak ill of them.” And what about Roscioli? “He refuses to take part in televised debates. He is undoubtedly a decent person. But the issue is one of method. His candidacy would be little more than a nominal claim to a seat. It has no connection with the local area.”

What is your connection with Vannacci? Would you abandon Ukraine? “I wouldn’t abandon it; rearmament is a different matter. Vannacci is a man of integrity and I hope to bring in a new section of the electorate. Schlein said, ‘They didn’t see us coming’, but in Reggio Calabria they are seeing us coming”. Abortion? “The issue is protecting life from the moment of conception. FN proposes policies to prevent abortion in support of women. The issue is awareness, not the right to choose, which remains fully recognised.” Do you really think you can win? “I can win.” Do you want an alliance with Meloni in the general election? “I’d like one because, at the end of the day, we’re still the same centre-right people.” It’s not Saxony. Calabria represents Vannacci’s first tactical move. On the one hand, there is the ‘ius Calabria’; on the other, the seat as a CPR. It is not Saxony, but Alternative für bergamotto.