Thread by @FergusMMurray

Fantastic moment as the #quirinalemarathon becomes delirious. News breaks that Salvini is meeting Draghi. Rolling news presenters say, But we don’t know what Salvini is saying. @GP_ArieteRosso Gianfranco Pasquino says, I’ll tell you what he is saying. Which is, basically, …

‘Mario, my strength test putting forward a centre right candidate was a disaster. I’ve got Giorgia Meloni coming up on the outside. You can stay as PM as the national giver falls apart or you could go to the Quirinale. I can’t sponsor you but I can guarantee the Lega’s votes…

Can you help me, Mario?

It seems like it’s lining up behind Mattarella. Salvini has to decide with which president he’d lose least: Mattarella or Draghi. For country losing Draghi from his current position would make Quirinale battle look like a bun fight compared to the fight over a new PM

Other pundits say Draghi lacks deep experience of Italian parliament. Giulio Amato’s name in frame but probs to identified with left. Letta- Salvini-Conte to meet shortly. Can they make the white smoke rise?

Mattarella saying, Jeez, these guys are gonna lose me the deposit on my new house

Salvini comes out and says he’s working for a woman president ‘in gamba’ which seems to point the dial at Elisabetta Belloni, chief spook or perhaps Marta Cattabia

Conte also puts his weight behind a woman president (it would be the first)

Letta yet to speak. 5Star don’t want Mattarella. The ‘woman president’ turn feels opportunistic to me. An attempt to avoid Mattarella (if Mattarella were to agree to second term that he sees as a quasi coronation)

Conte won’t commit to a name. ‘It’s not the time’, he says

Letta speaking. It’s complicated he says a number of times. But he wants to preserve/keep the current government (ie not Draghi for prez?)

Renzi comes out strongly against Belloni

Meanwhile Mattarella gets 336 votes in sixth vote. Keeps going up.

Belloni and Cartabia are not parliamentarians. Forza Italia expresses perplexity on their emergence via Lega and possibly 5 Stat

To summarise: a disastrous day for centre right. They tried to heave thieve csndidate through without having the votes and even some of their voters rebelled- were ‘snipers’.

Heavy accusations that Elisabetta Casellati, leader of the Senate, was used as human sacrifice of botched centre right push for supremacy without the votes.

The sixth vote was abstained by centre left. But Mattarella got over 300 votes even though he dies not want a second term.

Failure of Right push (spallata) finally leads to tripartite talks of Lega, PD and 5 Star. In meantime Salini nips to see Draghi.

Salvini and Conte then come out in favour of a woman candidate. Letta says let’s preserve government. Renzi and Forza Italia come out against Elisabetta Belloni. Leaves Marta Cartabia as possible woman candidate. But both are technocrats.

Mattarella would seem to be favorite despite ‘let’s have a woman but not that one’ posturing. Draghi is out of it. Better that he is not damaged by poor vote numbers. But lots of bruised egos around.

They reconvene for 7th vote at 9.30 am tomorrow. Get the feeling a reluctant Sergio Mattarella will get a second term because there is no other consensus candidate. Would he accept the mandate given age (80) and opposition to two presidential mandates? We’ll see.

First reaction to Salvini’s failed spallata/heave. Forza Italia says it will negotiate separately rather than as alliance led by Salvini.

As someone said earlier the #Quirinale2022 is beginning of 2023 election campaign

Foreign Minister Di Maio of 5 Star criticises ‘burning of names’ - proposing people for president without a shared agreement. Particularly people with high state positions (both of whom here are women- Belloni and Casellati)