The false truce within FI following the by-elections in Calabria: Tajani and Occhiuto are already sending signals to one another

Alongside the spread between BTPs and Bunds (which has risen to 100), the rift between Tajani and the Berlusconi family is widening – a family that “has always been close to us, but there is someone sowing discord”. Forza Italia aims to become increasingly financially independent from the Cavaliere’s children (who still have to pay their membership fees). And then: “There are party conferences; anyone who wants to can stand as a candidate.” These are messages in a bottle that the secretary is sending out so that the minority gets the message. And they signal irritation at talk of a “stepping stone” to alternative leadership. Such as that of Roberto Occhiuto, who has been given a new lease of life by the by-elections and is now on tour with his new book. 

Tajani’s loyalists will say it’s all nonsense, that the party is ‘extremely united’, that the Calabrian vote strengthens Forza Italia, and that it positions the party within the ‘winning centre-right’. However, it is no secret that Roscioli’s selection was certainly endorsed by the secretary, yet put forward in circles far removed from the Ciociaria region by the Berlusconi family (the newly elected MP is a lawyer for Marina and Pier Silvio, as well as for Fininvest). And it was orchestrated and organised by one of the family’s most direct intermediaries: the President of Calabria, Roberto Occhiuto, who is also deputy secretary. Together with the mayor of Reggio Calabria, Francesco Cannizzaro, he is regarded as the true architect of the victory, the one who brought in the votes (given that Roscioli was unknown in Reggio Calabria). Yesterday, in an interview with Il Corriere, he stated: “Tajani deserves great credit for keeping our party alive when nobody believed in us. Now it is up to each of us to bring to life what Forza Italia once stood for: an open movement, capable of proposing bold reforms and welcoming the country’s brightest minds.” He called for a revival of measures for young people and on civil rights. Except that, in the meantime, Tajani appeared to be responding to him in unison in La Stampa: “The party congresses are taking place; anyone who wants to stand for election is welcome to do so.” This is yet another jab from the Deputy Prime Minister, who, on the subject of party membership and party conferences, has repeatedly dismissed the accusations of the ‘dissidents’ (we’ll call them that for simplicity’s sake, though we’re aware how amusing that might sound) over the past few weeks. “If we are in favour of meritocracy in the country, we must also be so within the party,” he said at the Forza Italia Youth Convention. He added that “party membership is a great sign of belonging” and “indicates a strong desire to win”. A few days later, however, he even went so far as to take issue with the “deserters”, who “prefer to speak to the press”. Any reference to Minister Zangrillo (who, not coincidentally, subsequently resigned as Forza Italia’s coordinator in Piedmont) and Giorgio Mulè was no accident. They are the very people who, according to Tajani, “sow discord”. The insistence on internal participation can also be explained by the regret over the failure to bring forward Forza Italia’s national congress: Tajani would have liked to speed things up; in the summer of 2025, he amended the party’s constitution partly to allow for the possibility of an extraordinary congress. On that occasion, however, the Foreign Secretary had to contend with Marina Berlusconi’s veto. It is no coincidence that, during her last meeting at the Mediaset studios last spring (by the way: what ever happened to the one they were supposed to have at the end of the summer?), she also expressed considerable concerns about local congresses. Along the lines of: let them not become a way of further tearing the party apart. This regret may well be compounded by the contrasting example of Matteo Salvini, who is being called upon by his party congress to consolidate his position ahead of the general election. Lucky him.

The fact is that Occhiuto’s comeback – and the timing of it – comes on the eve of the tour the Calabrian governor is to undertake across the country (the first stop is in Rome today) to present his book, "Il coraggio di governare. Idee liberali, la forza per realizzare", in which he reiterates many of the proposals put forward in recent months: from the need to carry out reforms that go beyond representing lobbies. To the opening up of new demographic and socio-economic spheres, which Forza Italia should seek to tap into. It is, in a way, a summary of the events organised with the non-faction ‘In libertà’. He continues to insist that he harbours no personal ambitions, at least for now. But it will certainly also be a way to move beyond the mere role of administrator. Yesterday marked what would have been Silvio Berlusconi’s 90th birthday. With the secretary in Brussels, some of the party leaders (led by Fulvio Martusciello) in Naples and the family at Villa La Certosa. Every man for himself. Not exactly a picture of unity on a day when it was made clear, publicly, that they wish to be “increasingly financially independent” from the Cavaliere’s children. Whilst they await the 600,000 euros that are slow in coming.