Politics
The case •
Di Pietro is standing for election to the CSM, but this is causing a rift between Fratelli d’Italia and Forza Italia: “Incompatible with the role”
The former public prosecutor in the ‘Mani Pulite’ investigation, and former star of the ‘Sì’ campaign in the referendum, had lunch today at the Chamber of Deputies with Donzelli. The party was considering his candidacy for the High Council of the Judiciary (CSM), but group leaders Craxi and Costa have put the brakes on, issuing a scathing statement: ‘No agreement; it is a matter of principle.’ Tomorrow, a blank ballot, whilst the ‘Azzurri’ are weighing up the candidacies of Zanettin and Sisto.
Antonio Di Pietro – photo: LaPresse
"I have put myself forward as a candidate in accordance with the law, believing I am qualified to do so; the Chamber will then decide." This was stated by the former minister and leader of Italia dei Valori, Antonio Di Pietro, this morning in the Chamber of Deputies, as he announced his candidacy for membership of the High Council of the Judiciary on the eve of the first vote to be held tomorrow by Parliament, sitting in joint session. The former public prosecutor from the ‘Mani Pulite’ investigation has ‘entered the fray’ to try to get elected, though this has caused friction within the centre-right.
In fact, according to reports from various parliamentary sources, Di Pietro had lunch earlier today with a number of centre-right figures, including Giovanni Donzelli, a leading figure in Fratelli d’Italia and head of the organisation (also at the table were Alessandro Colucci of Noi Moderati and Ignazio Messina, vice-president of ANCI and secretary of Italia dei Valori). The party is reportedly assessing his profile. “An interesting candidacy that we are considering,” say the MPs. After all, the former public prosecutor was one of the leading advocates for the “Yes” vote in the last (failed) referendum. But it is still too early for negotiations; above all, however, a “high-profile” name such as his has infuriated Forza Italia. Understandably so, too.
Throughout the afternoon, various rumours of dissent regarding this decision circulated, until the evening, when a scathing statement from the two group leaders, Stefania Craxi and Enrico Costa, clearly set out the position of the ‘Azzurri’. “Forza Italia will not vote for Antonio Di Pietro as a member of the CSM. This is not a matter of a single name, but one of principle,” they say. “Di Pietro’s history – a symbol of a period in which the justice system became a tool of political struggle and media pillorying took the place of due process, making a mockery of the law – is incompatible with the body tasked with guaranteeing the autonomy, balance and impartiality of the judiciary.” They conclude: “We are and remain defenders of due process, and we cannot entrust the autonomous governance of the judiciary to someone who has embodied the exact opposite. On this point, there is no room for negotiation.”
The dispute is coming to an end even before it has properly begun. And indeed, tomorrow the centre-right will cast blank ballots. Partly because, quite simply, there was no agreement. It is also partly to significantly reduce the majority required for the election of members of the CSM. For the first two rounds of voting, the required majority is that of the members of the entire assembly, and three-fifths is required. From the third round onwards, however, the three-fifths calculation is based not on the entire assembly, but on the number of voters.
“It’s all still very premature,” say parliamentary sources from Forza Italia. “A work in progress”, with the aim of arriving at names that are common and agreed upon by the entire centre-right. Among the shortlist of candidates, the same Forza Italia sources explain, are Senator Pierantonio Zanettin and Deputy Minister of Justice Francesco Paolo Sisto. Both are highly qualified, but the opposition will also need to agree to this choice if it is to become the final decision.
Indeed, the group leaders in the Chamber of Deputies from the PD, M5S, AVS, IV, +EU and Azione issued a statement earlier today specifically to ensure that, over the coming months when the vote takes place to elect members, the 6-to-4 ratio of elected members between the majority and the opposition is upheld. “We hope that in the forthcoming election of the members of the CSM, there will be no repeat of what happened at the start of this parliamentary term, when the majority snatched a seat from the opposition which, as is customary, was due to the parliamentary minority parties,” wrote Chiara Braga (PD), Riccardo Ricciardi (M5S) and Luana Zanella (AVS), Maria Elena Boschi (IV), Matteo Richetti (Azione) and Riccardo Magi (Più Europa). “We hope the majority will show a sense of responsibility,” they say. “Based on the composition of the parliamentary groups in this parliamentary term, the correct balance is six members for the majority and four for the opposition.”