Right-Wing Lega Back in Power: US Conservatives Have a Friend in Italy!

From The Gateway Pundit.com (Feb. 17, 2021):

While wild-eyed Democrats have seemingly taken over in Washington, the left-wing government of Giuseppe Conte has collapsed in Italy, opening the way for conservative parties to return to government in Rome.

It all started with the resignation of the two Ministers of Italia Viva, a minor left-wing party led by former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.

The Conte government was relying on Italia Viva’s votes for their majority in the Parliament, as the online populist 5 Star Movement plus the other left-wing parties were not enough to rule. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte survived a vote of no confidence in the Senate, but with such a small majority that it was clear the coalition would not hold. Conte resigned.

For many Italians, this came as a complete surprise, since the general assumption was the left would do everything they could to avoid new elections, which the center-right parties would probably win.

Many Italians and the center-right parties then called for new elections, as they have since the first Conte-Salvini government collapsed in 2019. However, due to the COVID crisis, President Sergio Matarella instead chose to form a Government of National Unity, involving all political parties, under the former head of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi.

Matteo Salvini’s Lega party and Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party decided to support the new government, for the sake of the Italian people. The only party to oppose this National Unity government was Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy).

While many leftist media mocked Eurosceptic Matteo Salvini for joining a Draghi government, the Italian media have largely lauded the Lega for their maturity, responsibility and problem-solving, as Salvini put Italy First and paved the way for more dialogue with our international partners.

On Friday, Feb. 12th, Draghi presented the list of Ministers he had kept as a surprise until the last minute. The Ministers were sworn in by President Matarella the following day.

The new government reflects the multitude of parties that compose its majority: three Ministers for Lega, three for Forza Italia, three for the Social Democrats (Partito Democratico), four for the 5 Star Movement, one each for Italia Viva and for Liberi Uguali. It also includes a number of neutral experts not associated with any one party.

The Lega has three important Ministers in areas that have been of crucial importance for the party: Giancarlo Giorgetti as Minister for Industry and Economic Development, Massimo Garavaglia as Minister for Tourism and Erika Stefani as Minister for Disability.

The main priority  now is to work together to help get Italy back on its feet. This is a vital lesson that Democrats and Republicans in Washington should maybe pay attention to: It is possible to overcome party divisions when the nation is at stake.For Lega, joining this government was a brave move by Matteo Salvini. It will make sure the new government has a strong center-right component to balance out the leftist influence of PD and 5 Star in the Draghi cabinet. After all, the center-right parties Lega, Forza Italia and Fratelli d’Italia now rule fourteen out of twenty Italian regions. It would have been even better if all the right-wing parties had joined Draghi’s cabinet.

It is clear this government is divided from the start, especially on issues like Lockdown, Immigration and EU Integration, but having the Lega in power puts us at the center of the new government, with a seat at the table when the decisions are made.

In a time when our nations are so ideologically divided and riven by crisis, Conservatives need to show they can step up and take responsibility for solving the problems our nations face every day.

For all the Conservatives in America who are feeling alone and left out in the cold, take heart: You have a great friend in Italy, and that friend is back in power in Rome! [source]

It’s good to see conservatism in other countries. It’ll make their countries more prosperous and free.