The Syrian Crisis Speeds up Negotiations to Form a Government
Today the second round of formal consultations for the formation of an Italian government has ended. Once again, Italian President Sergio Mattarella met separately with all parties represented in the parliament, with former President and Senator for life Giorgio Napolitano, as well as with the newly appointed heads of, respectively, the chamber of Deputies and the Senate, Roberto Fico and Maria Elisabetta Casellati. This time, the representatives of all three parties that form the right-wing coalition participated in the meeting together.
As expected, no major progress has been made. In fact, growing tensions among the main political parties make the process of forming a government more and more arduous. Before consultations kicked-off, Maria Stella Gelmini and Anna Maria Bernini, who represent Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia, had called for a formal declaration stating that an agreement with the 5-Star-Movement to form a majority can only be reached if Forza Italia is included. “No government with Berlusconi and Forza Italia is in sight” was the firm reply from representatives of the 5-Star-Movement Giulia Grillo and Danilo Toninelli. So far, the most likely scenario is that consultations drag on until next summer (see last week’s brief).
Forza Italia's leader Silvio Berlusconi followed by Maria Stella Gelmini (right) and Anna Maria Bernini (left). Source
However, the recent escalation of the Syrian crisis may play a crucial role in significantly speeding up the process of forming a government. Last Saturday, Syrian government forces launched a suspected chemical attack in Douma, the last rebel-held town in the Eastern Ghouta region, killing more than 40 people, and on Wednesday, they raised their flag in the town. This triggered the reaction of both the EU and U.S. governments, with the EU calling for “an immediate response by the international community” and U.S. President Donald Trump stating cryptically on Twitter that “an attack on Syria could be very soon or not so soon”.
As reported by the representatives of the parties who took part in yesterday’s consultations, Italian President Mattarella expressed his concern over the escalation of the Syrian crisis and called for the formation of a government “able to fully fulfill its functions”. In the same way, at the end of the second round of formal consultations today, he made clear that “Italian citizens’ expectations, contrasts in international trade, important upcoming deadlines in the European Union and growing tensions in areas not far from Italy” (with clear reference to the Syrian crisis) make the need to reach a common agreement particularly urgent. Significantly, he stated that, since no progress has been made, he would take action in order to overcome the current stalemate by next week.
According to the most likely scenario, Mattarella could give a senior political figure an “exploratory mandate” to mediate within parliament to reach an agreement, or opt for a so-called “governo del presidente”, i.e. a temporary, technocratic government, with the Prime Minister appointed by the President regardless of the parliament’s majoritarian stance and then agreed on by the members of the parliament based on a concrete program to be implemented.
The next days will make clear whether Mattarella’s call will put an end to Italy’s neverending story.
