Forza Italia doesn't want Schifani again, the governor is considering resignation

I resign is the phrase that the governor of Sicily Renato Schifani would have uttered in the evening in a rage after the declarations of the party commissioner on the island Nino Minardo on the need for a change of pace and a completely new political proposal. Words, those of Minardo, filtered yesterday while he was meeting the provincial secretaries of the party in Palermo. And agreed at a national level, because concern is mounting in Rome regarding the legal case that has affected Gaetano Armao for whom the Palermo Prosecutor's Office has requested his arrest for corruption. Not just any character Armao: close to Totò Cuffaro at the end of the 90s so much so that he was proposed as a candidate for mayor of Palermo, he was councilor for the economy in Raffaele Lombardo's government. Then in 2017 Silvio Berlusconi, after meeting him in Arcore, nominated him for the presidency of the Region only to then withdraw his candidacy after the agreement reached with Nello Musumeci who, as soon as he was elected, appointed him councilor for the Economy.

Until the beginning of August, the lawyer Armao, husband of Giusi Bartolozzi who was in the Cabinet of the Keeper of the Seals, headed the specialist technical commission (Cts) which issues authorizations for photovoltaic and wind power plants and was Schifani's legal advisor until the news of the investigation, then he resigned. A judicial earthquake which, according to the fear at the top levels of Forza Italia, could reserve other unpleasant surprises. Here then is the sudden acceleration entrusted to Commissioner Minardo to underline FI's desire to carry out a renewal, starting with the ruling class. And the main issue is one: Schifani's re-nomination for the 2027 regional elections. In Rome, intolerance has grown towards the many investigations involving centre-right politicians and above all men who were close to the government, such as Salvatore Iacolino, Agelo Pizzuto and finally Armao, all accused of corruption.

And President Schifani, who took the encore for granted, took note of his party's change of heart: "I take note of the statements of the Honorable Minardo. In these hours I am evaluating, with a sense of responsibility, the decisions to be taken, which I will communicate shortly". A position he reiterated in the phone call he had with the leader Antonio Tajani, we learn from the bright tones. Then he gathered his staff and some regional parliamentarians at the Palazzo d'Orleans.

"Resignations are not announced, they are given", comments the Democratic Party member of the Ars, Nello Dipasquale. For the leader of Controcorrente, Ismaele La Vardera "Schifani's is the worst legislature ever made up of arrests and investigations: today he has the chance to finally free Sicily".

The regional Anti-Mafia commission announced this morning that it will launch a fact-finding investigation into the recent episodes of corruption that have emerged within the regional administration.