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The enthusiasm of Matteo Salvini, the silence of the Brothers of Italy: the reaction coming from the Italian right in the hours following the news of Marine Le Pen’s victory is very different. A difference that is political and destined to reflect on the balance within the majority, in Italy as in Europe.
Yes, because elections in France are taking place in parallel with the start of the new European legislature and the negotiations on the selection of the new EU executive that is also leading Giorgia Meloni to search for a portfolio adequate “to the weight that Italy deserves”. And certainly the belligerent tones of her deputy prime minister, who also on Sunday 30 June returned to attack Ursula von der Leyenthey don’t help him. And even less so the Lega support for the new far-right group of “patriots” that the Hungarian is giving life to Viktor Orban and the Austrian Herbert Kickl, number one of the Freedom Party and with the ambition of winning the premiership in the autumn, together with the former Czech prime minister Andrej Babis. A group that currently has as its point of reference aversion to von der Leyen and a benevolent attitude towards Vladimir Putin.
An attitude that also finds fertile ground in the Lega and in Le Pen. For now the leader of RN – struggling with the July 7th runoff – avoids exposing himself also so as not to frighten that moderate Gaullist electorate that is ready to side with his candidates. But Salvini is the one who speaks. “We want to widen as much as possible the perimeter of a strong, patriotic, cohesive group that is against intrigues”, the hope of the Lega leader who is counting – through his transalpine ally – on increasing his political weight. In fact, if until yesterday, both for his adversaries and his allies, the queen maker of the right was Giorgia Meloni, from tomorrow the baton could likely pass to Le Pen. Even more so if the Conservatives (Ecr) group, of which Fdi is the main delegation, were to lose the third position it had just conquered.
In the next few days (by July 3rd) the former Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki will have to decide whether the 20 Pis deputies will remain in the ECR or instead join Orban’s formation despite the distances on Putin’s Russia. The game is however destined to continue at least until July 18 when the European Parliament will decide on von der Leyen’s encore. Not a whisper from Palazzo Chigi. The other deputy, Antonio Tajani, who is also leader of Forza Italia and vice-president of the EPP, is working to get the Melonians to converge on the confirmation of the outgoing president of the Commission. The Lega Nord’s arrows are aimed at him. But it is clear that the real objective is another.
