Berlusconi, Fini scrap in public
A simmering row between Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Gianfranco Fini, a long-time ally and speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, burst spectacularly out into the public yesterday (22 April) when the two scrapped bitterly at a live, televised party congress debate.
Mr Fini, the self-styled ‘post-fascist' who brought his Alianza Nazionale party in from the hard-right cold and toward the centre of the country's politics, was a co-founder with Mr Berlusconi's Forza Italia of the conservative Party of Freedom (PdL) last year, but the growing rift between the two men could lead to a break-up of the party and even early elections.
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"I don't like the house that I helped to create," said Mr Fini, now to the left of the prime minister on such issues as immigration, sharply attacking Mr Berlusconi for the growing influence of the anti-immigrant Northern League, which is in coalition with the PdL.
He criticised the government's positions on immigration and moves to devolve power to the regions, long a Northern League aim, which at times has campaigned for the richer north to secede from the country.
Mr Fini, whose base is in the poorer south of the country, for his part believes in a strong central government, while the Northern League looks to the creation of a federalised state with considerable regional autonomy.
He said devolution had not been sufficiently considered and that the PdL, which suffered at the polls in regional elections last month, was losing votes to the Northern League on its rightward flank.
He also accused the Italian leader of crushing internal discussions in the party and criticised him for passing laws that would enable him to avoid fraud and corruption trials.
After several attempts at interrupting, a furious Mr Berlusconi then re-addressed the gathered parliamentarians and party members after having earlier made his remarks, saying "A speaker of the house should not make political statements. If you want to make them, you should leave your post."
He accused Mr Fini of "exposing the party to public mockery," and attacked him for raising such criticisms in public before doing through the appropriate party channels.
"It doesn't seem to me the issues you have raised are of great importance compared to what we have done as a government," he added.
Mr Fini then strode towards the stage, gesticulating and yelling: "What are you saying? What are you saying? ... Are you going to kick me out?"
After months of behind-the-scenes disagreement, in Tuesday this week, Mr Fini announced he was to create his own faction within the PdL, bringing along with him some 50 people.
The faction will remain in the PdL however, backing the government in its main legislative endeavours.
After the public spat, Mr Fini insisted he will not leave the party.