“Berlusconi’s relief at Napolitano’s appointment of Monti in 2011: Casini debunks the coup myth”

Napolitano’s “deposition” of Berlusconi and the appointment of the technocratic government led by Mario Monti was a pivotal event in Italian politics. It was the fall of 2011, and while Berlusconi was dealing with the media storm surrounding his personal scandals, Italy was facing a severe financial crisis that threatened the stability of the country. Was this move by Napolitano a stroke of genius that saved Italy from default, as it seemed at the time and to many still today, or was it a “white coup” in violation of the Constitution, as many of his detractors later accused? Everyone has their own opinion, but now that Napolitano is no longer in office, it’s worth debunking a popular myth: that Berlusconi felt personally offended by his departure from Palazzo Chigi. In an interview with La Stampa, former ally of Berlusconi, Pier Ferdinando Casini, reveals that many people told him that Berlusconi was relieved the night he left the Quirinale after resigning as prime minister. In the days leading up to his resignation, there had been a climate that made staying in Palazzo Chigi unbearable. In the face of a terrible financial crisis, President Napolitano used his effective moral persuasion to bring about the appointment of Monti’s government. It was a government that was not voted into Parliament by divine intervention, but by a large majority. So, it’s time to put aside any theories of a supposed coup, asks Fabio Martini to Casini? “This definition is a product of the modesty of Italian politics. When you’re in difficulties, you create ghosts, making it difficult for others to hold you accountable for your inadequacies. Retrospectively reconstructing history is highly fallacious, but in this case, everything was clear from the beginning.” The coup story was only circulated when Monti’s government was near the end of its term and the new political elections – those of February 2013 – were approaching, explains Casini. “It helped the center-right’s election campaign, in order to prevent the Monti List and the Democratic Party (PD) from gaining too much support. And in the end, the center-right achieved some small satisfactions. The biggest price was paid by the center-left for supporting the Monti government.” But the proof that Berlusconi himself didn’t believe in the Quirinale coup came just a few weeks later when Berlusconi fully supported Napolitano’s re-election as President. It’s no surprise, says Casini, recalling the “Fu Manchu”: “Berlusconi was also someone who, during an election campaign, created his own narrative.”