This article was published on newsstands on May 7, together with the article dedicated to Giuseppe Conte by Antonio Polito (you can find it under the link in “Also read”). We offer it online for readers
“I dedicate myself to a new life. Because I can assure you that there is life beyond politics.” Luigi Di Maio has of course reiterated the concept several times after he strongly opposed the political elections of September 25 last year, when his party (Civic Commitment, founded by the fragments of the M5S) was born and died within a few weeks. collect 0.6 percent. With the sudden fall of the Draghi government, the former foreign minister, once a big boss of the Five Stars, had foreseen a possible debacle. But in the meantime, during his experience in the Farnesina with an ultra-TLANTist stance in support of Ukraine, he had already seeded what could have sprout in the future: his candidacy as EU special envoy in the Persian Gulf, a goal that amidst crossed in enthusiasm was controversy.
“It takes another life…” sang the great Franco Battiato. And the goal — more words, fewer words — Di Maio also reiterated in chat messages with his followers before saying goodbye (on WhatsApp and beyond). Because immediately after the reaction of the polls, “Luigi” (as friends call him) sank. From radar. So much so that some of his followers, who remained stranded, vented bitterness. That same deluded (political) love, however, admits that “Luigi” could have easily saved himself by accepting the armored position Enrico Letta had offered him to run on the Democratic Party lists, a possibility he then declined to run alone: ”I would never have given up my opinion after splitting from the movement,” declared the former leader.
isolation after defeat
From the beginning of October, Di Maio “completely isolated himself, just like when he was still in government and had to make important decisions,” say those who know him well: “First he listened to the advice of those he trusted , then he closed communication and made decisions. Alone.” And so he did this time as he built his “third life”: then as a student, crowding the San Paolo Stadium with drink vendors, then as political leader, deputy prime minister, and two-time minister. And In the end, after the abrupt halt to the elections, Di Maio achieved a goal that had seemingly been unraveled due to opposition from large fringe sectors of the Meloni government (Lega at the top): from June 1 he will take office at a senior diplomatic level with a office and staff who commute between Brussels and the Middle East, but what exactly will he be doing in this new role?
also read
dr Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, a short story by Giuseppe Conte, the random populist now targeting the middle, by Antonio Polito
Accelerating the EU towards the Gulf
The war in Ukraine, with skyrocketing gas and oil prices, had thrown Europe into dramatic trouble, but things improved thanks to new sourcing agreements. Following the collapse in energy supplies from Russia, the EU has accelerated its course towards the Middle East, but is aware that it has no ad hoc diplomatic figure on the chessboard. In this context, Josep Borrell has thought about the creation of this new profile. It will be up to Di Maio to maintain ties with the Gulf States and negotiate gas and oil prices. The former leader of the M5S was managed by Borrell, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, who speaks fluent Italian and has a deep love for our country’s food and wine, and who had developed excellent chemistry with Di Maio during the first dramatic months of the year , accurately described Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The human factor would have played a key role in Borrell’s move, alongside former Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s endorsement of the indication, who also had to take into account strong competition from Dimitris Avramopoulos, who was seeking the same seat. However, in this case luck was on the Italian candidate’s side as the Greek race ended after he got caught up in the ‘Qatargate’ scandal.
The controversy: inappropriate curriculum
The first question that many, especially critics of the ex-minister, have asked themselves is obvious: how much will he earn? Spokeswoman Nabila Massrali said compensation for this mission, which provides for the status of a diplomat, will only be determined after the procedure has been completed by a contract with the European Commission. But according to an EU source, based on salaries for similar positions, it could be around €12,000 net per month. “It’s inconceivable to entrust such an important task to someone with Di Maio’s resume,” thundered More Than One Foe, also recalling his various stumbling blocks with more than one subjunctive, on camera and off. In fact, continues one of his former followers, “Luigi has always known his limitations: he is very humble.” Whenever a problem arose, he looked for a solution. It is no coincidence that he often took intensive English classes at the Farnesina: today he is fluent in English. He, like everyone else, has some weaknesses, but he is like a sponge: he works tirelessly and manages to absorb knowledge in record time. Little vice, little football and only one true passion: Ferrari and Formula 1».
Back to power
And now? In order to leave ça va sans dire quickly, however, it was first necessary to settle accounts with the past. More than one of the men (and women) close to him was stunned by his disappearance from the radar, even complaining of a “lack of affectivity.” But the restart happened on several fronts: politically first, with a sharp cooling in relations with former ministers Riccardo Fraccaro and Alfonso Bonafede, the only ones with whom Di Maio had struck up a genuine friendship before abandoning the Five Stars. But in the weeks leading up to the vote, “Luigi” had also ended his long-standing relationship with Sardinian journalist Virginia Saba, with whom, according to a friend of hers, the prospect of starting a family did not coincide. A few months later, “Luigi” reappeared in the magazines, paparazzi alongside Alessia D’Alessandro, 30, who ran for the Five Stars in Campania in 2018, the year of historic boom, but ended up not being elected.
Hand in hand in Venice
D’Alessandro – hand in hand with the former minister, first in Venice and then in Naples – has a 4-year-old daughter, speaks five languages and until recently lived in Berlin, where he has had study experience on the Sciences Po curriculum of Paris and at Jacobs University Bremen. Previously, she was marketing assistant for the Economic Council, a business organization of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, which is close to the CDU. And how did the pacifist Giuseppe Conte take the nomination of the ultra-antilantist? Not good. “Let’s not talk about the person, we wish Di Maio a good job,” he said. “But let’s just say he’s become a metaphor for the perverse logic of power against his will.”
LIFE – Luigi Di Maio was born in Avellino on July 6, 1986 but grew up in Pomigliano d’Arco: his father is a builder, his mother a teacher of Latin and Italian. After high school, he enrolled in the faculty of computer engineering and then switched to law, which he never completed.
CAREER – He immediately joined the Beppe Grillo movement and founded the Pomigliano Meetup in 2007. In 2013, he ran for politics and was elected the youngest vice president of the chamber in Republican history: in 2014, he joined four other congressmen in the directorate sought by Beppe Grillo.
IN GOVERNMENT – Re-elected in 2018, he became Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Economic Development in Conte I. In 2019, following the government crisis and Conte’s reappointment, he became Foreign Minister, a position he also held in the executive branch he led Mario- dragon. On June 21, 2022, unlike Conte, he left the 5 stars with a group of parliamentarians. That was not the case in the elections