Election of Mussolini Worshiper as Italian Senate President... Signs of Conflict in Right-Wing Coalition

Ignazio La Russa, Newly Appointed President of the Italian Senate
[Photo by AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Major foreign media reported on the 13th (local time) that the newly formed Italian right-wing coalition government, which won last month's general election, showed signs of division in the election for the President of the Senate.

On that day, Ignazio La Russa, a far-right politician who venerates Benito Mussolini, the Italian dictator during World War II, was elected as the President of the Italian Senate.

However, in the vote for the President of the Senate, 16 senators from Forza Italia (FI), who were supposed to participate in the coalition government, did not take part. Among the FI senators, only two, former Prime Minister and party leader Silvio Berlusconi and Maria Elisabetta Casellati, participated in the vote.

After being elected President of the Senate, La Russa visited party leader Berlusconi to express his gratitude, but Berlusconi was caught on camera slamming the desk in frustration after their conversation. Local media also reported that Berlusconi verbally insulted La Russa. This has led to analyses suggesting severe conflicts within the right-wing coalition over key appointments, including the heads of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies.

In the vote for the President of the Senate, 186 out of 187 sitting members voted, and La Russa received 116 votes, surpassing the majority threshold of 104 votes needed to be elected. He thus became the second highest-ranking official in Italy's power hierarchy.

La Russa served as Minister of Defense from 2008 to 2011 during Berlusconi's tenure as Prime Minister, and in 2012, he co-founded Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d'Italia, FDI) with Giorgia Meloni, who was then considered the next Prime Minister of Italy. FDI topped the vote share in last month's general election and formed the government coalition with FI and the far-right League.

La Russa is known in Italy as a Mussolini worshiper. His father, Antonio, served as party secretary of Mussolini's National Fascist Party (PNF) in the 1940s and joined the Italian Social Movement (MSI) after the war. MSI is the predecessor of FDI.

In 2018, La Russa sparked controversy by proudly displaying fascist memorabilia, including a small statue of Mussolini, during an interview at his home with Corriere TV, a broadcaster affiliated with the Italian daily Corriere della Sera. In 2020, when COVID-19 struck Italy, he drew criticism for suggesting the use of the "fascist salute" as a preventive measure against virus infection. On his Twitter at the time, he wrote, "Do not shake hands with anyone. Infection can be fatal," and "Use the Roman salute. It is a way to prevent virus or bacterial infection." The Roman salute involves extending the arm straight at a 45-degree angle and was widely used during Mussolini's rule, hence called the "fascist salute." It closely resembles the Nazi salute used in Germany.

Meanwhile, the vote for the President of the Chamber of Deputies proceeded to the third round without any candidate securing the required two-thirds majority, so a fourth round of voting will continue on the 14th. For the first to third rounds, a candidate must obtain two-thirds of the votes, which is 267 votes, but from the fourth round onward, a simple majority of 201 votes is sufficient for election.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.