477. Why does The President of Italy Want to so Desperately Go?

 

As Sergio Mattarella, President of Italy for the last seven years, walks out of the Presidential Palace in advance as if he can’t get out of the door fast enough, the question of who should take his place is a hot subject indeed.

But before discussing who’s in the running it is best to explain why Mattarella is so keen to get out heedless of the continuous litany of “No, you can’t go,” of the politicians and his tireless answer of “Oh, yes, I can”. No one actually really knows for sure but one suspects he doesn’t want to become a marionette in the hands of those politicians who want him to stay till the next general election which is due in 2023. Such a request may appear legitimate enough, after all it has been done before and past presidents have extended their mandate in order to overcome one crises or another, so why can’t it be done for this crises which, with the Covid Pandemic and setting up a kind of “war-government”, enlisting the services of an “outsider”, Mario Draghi, to lead a majority with all political forces involved; a request to extend the Presidential mandate for just one more year would appear to be more than justified. Yet, Sergio Mattarella says, “No”, and “No” again and again. Why?

It’s not because he’s fed-up and tired of being president, you can see the way he presides each function and integrates with the people that he is one and at ease with the role of being The President of Italy. Neither is it because he’s too old. He’s only 80. The previous President, Giorgio Napolitano, was well into his 90s when he extended, that is, due to the political crises of the times allowed himself to be, as he specified, “temporary” re-elected! Maybe the scene of Napolitano packing his cases and boxes to clear out and then having to unpack his cases and boxes again because politicians “forced” him to stay was an image that impressed itself into Mattarella’s mind- and that, he must have promised himself- was not going to happen to him.

Even so, I believe there is yet a greater reason that undermines Mattarella’s reason for being so adamant in going and which I have only hinted above and that is he does not want to become a marionette in the hands of politicians. That could well be passed over in general, one could say, it’s part of the job but in this case, it simply cannot be passed over- why?

First and foremost, Mattarella is a constitutionalist in every sense of the word. Trying to get a President to “bend” his mandate is anti-constitutional. It needs to be explained that a good number of the politicians who hold the relative majority, in this case The Five Star Movement are in most cases at their first election, not only as a member of parliament but of the government, they qualify for a most substantial pension as MPs. That is, however, only if they do the full five years of a legislature period- if they don’t, they stand to lose a pension which is much higher than that of someone who has worked decades of years at most other jobs or professions.

If Mattarella goes, the Five Star Movement will not vote for Mario Draghi to be President as they want him as Prime Minister otherwise the majority will crumble and general elections will ensue. And since they have lost favour among voters, hardly any of those in the Five Star Movement will be re-elected- so that extra year is crucial for them and their pensions- And Mattarella is not going to play ball with them, he’s not staying, he’s just going to go, period.  

Photo Credits: Wikipedia

Next Blog Post: Why Berlusconi and not Draghi for President?