The Chamber of Deputies rejects the motion of no confidence in Santanchè

The Chamber of Deputies rejected the motion of no confidence presented by the opposition to Minister Daniela Santanchè. The votes against were 206, the yes votes 134 and 1 abstention.

"Today I find myself responding for the second time to a motion of no confidence even though it concerns facts, all to be verified, that are prior to my swearing in as minister", said the Minister of Tourism in the Chamber of Deputies, speaking to continue the discussion on the motion of no confidence in her. "In this chamber it seems that you can tell anything without even going into it in depth, that is, that it should be obvious to every parliamentarian. I'm sorry for you, Honourable Ricciardi, but I don't feel alone, on the contrary: I thank the many colleagues who are with me and I don't feel alone in Italy either because the majority of Italians are in the battle for guarantees".

" I believe that the media pillory and the newspaper headlines devastate the lives of people with scars that never heal even before the trial . The media life sentence is a sentence that will remain as a 'never-ending sentence' for life", Santanchè added. "I don't even want to mention those who said that my hands 'are stained with blood'... it doesn't shame me but it does shame those who made this accusation that shows in its magnitude a pettiness and human wickedness that some adversaries are willing to use but certainly not towards their colleagues".

During Santanchè's speech , the opposition made noises in protest while the majority applauded the minister. Several were present on the government benches: ministers Foti, Ciriani, Calderoli, Abodi, Bernini and Roccella. Applause came from the majority benches when Santanchè stressed that it takes great strength not to go crazy in her situation. The president on duty, Giorgio Mulé, had to intervene several times to allow the minister to continue speaking. "The minister did not hurl insults, it is not allowed," Mulè said, addressing the opposition. "You must have democratic respect, you cannot interrupt in this manner. You cannot prevent the minister from carrying out her speech."

The minister: "I am the emblem, I represent it plastically, of everything you detest, a preconception: you don't want to fight poverty, you want to fight wealth. I am the emblem, the absolute evil" and "I know I am the one who wears 12-centimeter heels, the one from Twiga and Billionaire: my phone number and I are the same person, that number that you also called... and I'll stop here, because I'm a lady". "You want to fight wealth". At this point the Chamber of Deputies became heated, with louder protests from the opposition benches.

Applause from the FdI benches in the Chamber of Deputies when Minister Santanchè said during her reply (before the vote on the motion of no confidence): "I would never want to be a problem".

"I am certain of one thing: your attacks and your persecution will not end here. I will always be under attack, I am for you the 'absolute evil'. Soon there will be another preliminary hearing and so far we have only heard the accusation. On that occasion I will reflect, to also be able to evaluate my resignation. But I will do it alone, I will not have any kind of pressure, coercion or feared blackmail. I will be guided only by the respect for my prime minister, the government, the majority but above all by the love for my party where I certainly will never want to become a problem but continue to be a resource".

"I am voting against the no-confidence motion against Santanchè, I am loyal to the government and I will always be loyal", said the deputy prime minister Antonio Tajani on the sidelines of the session . Answering reporters' questions, he said: "I am always calm, why should I be embarrassed?".

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"A pathetic and ridiculous reply from Minister Santanchè - according to Angelo Bonelli, AVS MP and co-spokesperson for Europa Verde - , who declares herself proud of her stiletto heels and her bags. She thanks her family but forgets the families of those laid off from her companies, forced to work without being paid for a long time. The fraud against the State concerns a sum that, in addition to Covid contributions, also includes more than 120 thousand euros of social security contributions owed to INPS and never paid for 13 employees. An intervention full of arrogance from a minister who is glued to her seat with sealant glue".

"Shame on you, you who will vote for her are responsible for this economic and moral disaster: we, along with all honest people, are voting for the motion of no confidence", said M5S leader Giuseppe Conte speaking in the Chamber in the declaration of vote on the motion of no confidence in Minister Santanché and addressing the majority. "She is perhaps not the only one responsible for this affair. Above her there is an even greater responsible person: President Meloni who should have made her resign". "Because it puts Italy's image at risk in the world - he added - there are two explanations: either she is blackmailing her and this is a serious, very serious matter. The second explanation is that you have longed to manage power and now you have become intoxicated and feel like a caste untouchable by any law of the State, the Delmastro case is another example" but "in one case or the other these are issues that bring us back to the degradation into which you are plunging the country".

"Meloni wanted her at the helm of the ministry, but today she pretends not to know her, she has abandoned her and her employees. She has realized she made a serious mistake, but she doesn't know how to fix it, she can't get her to resign", said PD secretary Elly Schlein in the debate on the motion of no confidence in Tourism Minister Daniela Santanchè. " Meloni was a world champion in requests for resignation and today she deserted this chamber, how can she not be ashamed of her inconsistency, how can she not realize how cowardly her attitude of constantly fleeing from this chamber and from reality is? Where has the prime minister hidden? Maybe she is recording another video, a contribution to send to a convention among chainsaws and Nazi salutes".

The general discussion on the opposition motion of no confidence in Minister Carlo Nordio for the Almasri case has ended in the Chamber. Nine speakers have made their speeches, all from the opposition. The minister, who was present together with the Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, has reserved the right to speak at another session.

"You needed Almasri to be freed" and for this reason you caused "the humiliation of our country", said Federico Gianassi , a deputy of the Democratic Party, explaining the motion of no confidence in the Minister of Justice. "A disgrace for our country that has always been committed to cooperation. For the discredit thrown on our country, with this motion, we ask for your removal", added Gianassi. The parliamentarian addressed the Minister of Justice (who according to what the Democrat reportedly laughed during a passage of his speech): "I'm glad you're laughing, Minister. The Libyan citizens subjected to Almasri's torture laughed less. There's little to laugh about".

"You broke the law, Minister, but who forced you to do it and what excuses did you give?", said the leader of the Avs group in the Chamber Luana Zanella during the discussion of the motion of no confidence. 'I hope you put your hand on your conscience and resign', added Zanella. You, Mr. Minister - continues Zanella in his speech - should have acted and cooperated to guarantee the full operation of the International Criminal Court, you, Minister, have this role to affirm common interests and not those of a single country. You violated the obligation of full cooperation with the ICC, you betrayed our legal civilization, you bent your competences to the interests of a party, you broke the law. You argued that the request for the arrest of the torturer Almasry 'needed reflection' and that it was 'radically null', you defined the international arrest warrant 'a mess': but who assigned you the task of evaluating, and in your case of mocking, the Court? Finally, you have shown no empathy, you have not spent a single word of humanity towards the victims of a criminal who has tortured and violated even children: for all this we ask you to leave!".

Minister Carlo Nordio "did not observe the Constitution, did not observe the law and in the Chamber he proudly claimed the failure to respect that law". "We fully support the no-confidence vote and ask for his resignation", according to the M5S parliamentarian Federico Cafiero De Raho during the general discussion on the no-confidence vote in Nordio. "He spoke to us in the Chamber about the inconsistencies and contradictions" of the "arrest warrant", "he made fun of us who did not have the documents".