As head of the smaller of Rome’s two chambers, the 75-year-old will assume the second-highest office in the republic after that of president. In the far-right Fratelli d’Italia party, La Russa is a colleague of Giorgia Meloni, who is likely to become prime minister in the coming days.
La Russa is a controversial politician, partly because of his statements about the history and fascism of Italy. During the election campaign, he claimed that all Italians are “heirs of the Duce”, that is, of dictator Benito Mussolini. During the corona pandemic, he advised on social media that Italians should stop shaking hands, but show the “Roman salute” of the fascists. Four years ago, in an interview, La Russa proudly displayed her living room with devotional objects and a statue of Mussolini.
La Russa received 116 votes, the necessary absolute majority of the 206 senators was 104. Initially, however, there were no signs of successful elections in the House of Representatives. That was because the first three votes require a two-thirds majority, which the legal alliance does not have. From vote four, which is not scheduled for Friday, an absolute majority is sufficient; then come the deputies of the Fratelli, the right-wing populist Lega and the conservative Forza Italia.
(SDA)