From TV to Arcore. And then again, away from the Knight – to establish in the order Let’s change! Courage Italy and then arrive at Noi Moderati. Ten years of political life on the roller coaster of the “very moderate”, (as he defined himself), Giovanni Toti. From Mediaset at the helm of Liguria (he is in his second term) through Forza Italia and Silvio Berlusconi.
Forging ahead, the former director of Studio Aperto and Tg4 – with a stint also in the Biscione press office – entered politics in 2014 with the ‘direct call’ of the former prime minister who appointed him as his advisor and, by right , member of the so-called magic circle then led by the duo Maria Rosaria Rossi and Francesca Pascale.
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Toti’s coexistence with the so-called blue old guard is not easy. It is the period of the open clash with Raffaele Fitto. But it was clear that Berlusconi had placed his chips on the Mediaset journalist.
As we know, for the Knight, the image had its weight and since Toti had the ‘defect’ of extra kilos, the Italian leader decided to put him on a diet. The photo that portrayed Toti in all white next to the Cavaliere in a wellness center on Lake Garda became iconic. It’s January 2014, in June comes the baptism with the first line: Toti is nominated for the European elections.
However, his stay in Strasbourg lasted less than a year because in 2015, the Berlusconi loyalist decided to run for the leadership of Liguria, the region of residence, but not of birth. In fact, Toti is Tuscan. The electoral campaign gets off to a rocky start with the gaffe, live on TV, in Novi Ligure which the MEP mistakenly placed in Liguria and not in Piedmont. A slip which, however, does not prevent him from winning against Raffaella Paita, candidate of the centre-left. The rise in the Region – he also becomes Bonaccini’s deputy at the top of the State-Regions conference – is complicated by the failed referendum on drilling in 2015 and the tragedy of the Morandi Bridge in 2018. The approaching deadline with the mandate as governor coincides with the progressive distancing from Forza Italia. Counted in the long list of Berlusconi’s dolphins, Toti leaves the Azzurri in 2019.
Toti, first journalist in politics since 2014
The farewell comes after the former prime minister’s decision to close the rules table which had as its main task that of renewing the Forza Italia statute: “It seems to me that there are conditions under which everyone goes on their own, it’s Forza Italia that comes out of itself. Good luck to everyone”, he said before slamming the door and launching into the adventure of Cambiamo! and in the race for an encore in the Region. In 2020 he was re-elected as leader of Liguria. His list is the most voted but, in 2021, Toti dissolves Cambiamo! and from the ashes he gave life to Coraggio Italia, a political formation shared with the mayor of Venice Luigi Brugnaro. With the early end of the Draghi government and political elections just around the corner, the Ligurian governor signed an agreement with Lorenzo Cesa and Maurizio Lupi by presenting the Noi Moderati list and becoming the president of the party’s national council. We moderates finally signed an alliance with Forza Italia for the next European elections. Almost as if to close the circle of Toti’s journey which for 10 years saw him, politically, on a roller coaster.
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