Gianfranco Fini has been caught saying things about Berlusconi that Berlusconi doesn’t like. (Let’s leave aside for the moment the question of whether Fini’s comments were correct and/or inflammatory).
Berlusconi, according to the usual unnamed sources, wants Fini to be punished, even to the point of requiring him to step down as President of the Chamber of Deputies.
I think this is unlikely. As far as I can see, no President of the Chamber of Deputies has ever resigned, unless to take up another, better post. Three Presidents of the Senate have resigned (Merzagora, Paratore and De Nicola), but Paratore and De Nicola both resigned in protest; only Merzagora’s resignation is surrounded by question-marks (I’m following Wikipedia here).
Nor is there any provision in the Chamber’s rules of procedure to vote no-confidence in the President of the Chamber.
Neither side wins from a protracted fight. I’m betting this blows over.
As a democratic socialist Italian living overseas I’d rather have Fini than Berlusconi as Presidente del Consiglio, and that’s saying something.
At least Fini has some dignity.
Link | December 3rd, 2009 at 1:45 am
Absolutely right that that’s saying something. Indeed Fini’s diagnosis — that Berlusconi confuses democratic legitimacy with a right to over-rule all other sources of authority — is exactly the diagnosis made by many other disinterested (or at least, non-Italian) commentators.
Fini’s come a long long way baby, without doubt.
Link | December 3rd, 2009 at 1:55 am
Fini v. Berlusconi, round ten | Chris Hanretty wrote:
[...] wants Fini to leave the post of President of the Chamber of Deputies, but, as I mentioned before, there are no provisions for no-confidencing the President of the [...]
Link | July 30th, 2010 at 7:25 pm