The political chaos in Rome has calmed down for the time being. Prime Minister Mario Draghi submitted his resignation, President Sergio Mattarella accepted this and initiated the dissolution of parliament on the same day.
A new election became all but inevitable; for days there was a political tug of war in Rome. "The political situation has led to this decision," Mattarella said in a television speech, explaining the dissolution of parliament.
Although the 74-year-old Draghi ruled Italy for a year and a half with his government, which was supported by parties from both the right and left, wanted to get the country out of the corona crisis and enjoyed great support from the population – it was no longer enough.
The fall came from within their own ranks. The ruling Five Star Movement (M5S) party boycotted a vote of confidence in the former central banker. Then on Wednesday there was a final attempt in the Senate to gain confidence in the Draghi government. But both the M5S, conservative Forza Italia and the far-right Lega boycotted the Senate vote.
On September 25, the Italians are now to re-elect the MPs. The parties that overthrew Draghi have great opportunities: Forza Italia and the Lega. And another party, the Fratelli d'Italia (FdI) - the brothers of Italy.
The FdI are currently ahead in the polls. A Sunday poll by the polling institute for the Italian newspaper "La Stampa" showed that the Italian brothers received 22 percent of the voters' favor, closely followed by the social democratic PD. The Lega of ex-Interior Minister Matteo Salvini comes to 14.6 percent. Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia scored 8.6 percent.
The Five Star Movement loses more than 20 percent, sits at 10.7. Other parties don't make it past five percent.
A woman has the best chance of succeeding Draghi: 45-year-old Giorgia Meloni – former minister under Berlusconi, neo-fascist, right-wing extremist. She is also called "Queen of the Right". Today she is President of the right-wing conservative and EU-critical Europe Party European Conservatives and Reformers. "We are ready," Meloni wrote on Twitter on Thursday.
Your Fratelli d'Italia is a hard-right party. Neo- or post-fascist, right-wing extremist, right-wing nationalist. In the party logo is a green, white and red flame. The party wants the EU treaties to be revised and is in favor of re-establishing the EU as a federation of sovereign states. The consequences for the EU and its cooperation with Italy would be unforeseeable. FdI politicians repeatedly attracted attention with anti-EU statements - and also with the "saluto romano", the fascist salute, which corresponds to the Hitler salute.
The brothers of Italy come with a clearly right-wing program. "Italy and Italians first," says the party's policy program. Safety, law and order should have priority. "Immediate expulsion for foreigners who commit a crime" is required, for example, but also the fight against mafia and corruption.
According to the FdI, "illegal immigrants" should be expelled, and Italians given priority when it comes to social benefits. In addition, the party wants to oppose an alleged Islamization of Italy. The "traditional" family is said to be preferred.
Should Meloni succeed Draghi, she would be the first woman to hold the position. A woman who, as she puts it, has a "relaxed relationship with fascism." It would then be the first time in a good 100 years that fascism has found its way back into the government. In 1922 Benito Mussolini came to power in Italy.
Nevertheless, Meloni is modern and emancipated - unlike Mussolini supporters and neo-fascist thugs in her party. "There is no place for racists, anti-Semites and neo-Nazis in the Fratelli d'Italia," the party leader made clear. Fascists are missing from this list, probably not entirely unconsciously.
Meloni's fellow campaigners and competitors are in the starting blocks for a power poker game in Rome. "The center-right is ready to win the September 25 election," said Matteo Salvini of the right-wing populist League late Thursday evening.
Should the right-wing parties win in Italy, however, Meloni would probably maintain her claim to leadership - if she can still keep her party ahead of the Lega and Forza Italia.
The Corriere della Sera newspaper comments: "On the right, it is likely that Berlusconi and Salvini will try to unite, hoping not to let Giorgia Meloni take the helm of the coalition favored by all the polls."
Meloni attacked these party leaders just two months ago: "We are ready to hoist the sails for a long journey that will bring the Conservatives into government. We want to win or lose together, without alliances with our opponents." A hint that Lega and Forza Italia with centre-left parties supported the Draghi government.
However, there is no guarantee that a right-wing coalition will be strengthened by the time of the elections in Italy. For example, there were resignation movements within Forza Italia: Mara Carfagna, the minister responsible for southern Italy, declared that she wanted to distance herself from her party. Her party colleague Renato Brunetta, Minister for Public Administration, wants to leave the party of former Prime Minister Berlusconi. And in parliament, too, the first deputies changed sides out of frustration.
But why is a fascist party like the Fratelli d'Italia so popular? "Brothers of Italy is remarkably silent on the history of fascism. The party is characterized by elements of continuity, especially in cultural and ideological terms," Italian fascism researcher Giulia Albanese told ARD. The party does not clearly distance itself from fascism.
Added to this is Meloni's role as a charismatic opposition figure against the Draghi government. However, according to Albanese, the lack of engagement with the historical past on the part of many Italians also played a role. "It has not yet penetrated into the general consciousness in Italy what historical research has found out about fascism and its responsibility for violence, for the rise of Nazi rule, also for the Second World War and in relation to the participation in the genocide of the Jews ." In addition, many Italian media are not or not sufficiently interested in the topic, and there is hardly any teaching about it in schools.
"The success of the 'Brothers of Italy' is based in part on widespread ignorance of the issue. Fascism has long been played down in Italy," says Albanese.
Sources: DPA and AFP news agencies, party program Fratelli d'Italia, Rai, "Der Standard", "Cicero", SRF, "Euractiv", "Tagesschau"
