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Giovanni Goria: seems acceptable to all sides. Help
Giovanni Goria: seems acceptable to all
sides.
'Youngster ;
set to
lead Italy
From MICHAEL SHERIDAN,
in Rome
A DAY or two short of his
44th birthday, Giovanni
Goria looks set to bccome
the youngest Prime Minister in
post-war Italian history and the ,
head of a complex and intrigue
ridden coalition.
Mr Goria's movie-star looks
have set hearts aflutter throughout
the nation, but he will need all the
serious political acumen he can
producc to establish himself as a
Prime Minister of independent
stature and to manage a vexing,
querulous alliance.
After five months in which po
litical paralysis was succeeded by a
general election and backstage
dealing, Italy has ended up with a
government in which, on the sur
face, little seems to have changed.
Mr Goria is expected to an
nounce any time now that he has
succeeded in forming a Cabinet
made up of the five parties whose
squabbles triggered the crisis in the
first place. But his administration
in fact reflects a subtle redistribu
tion of power, both among the co
alition parties and among
government ministries, which may
have profound long-term effects.
All 4b Italian Governments
since World War II owed their
lives to compromise. But this, the
47th, is more compromised than
most. For a start, it is very much
the handiwork of two powerful
politicians, neither of whom fig
ures in its ranks. They are the Sec
retary of the Christian Democrats,
Ciriaco de Mita, and the former
Socialist Prime Minister, Bettino
Craxi.
Mr Craxi fell from office last
spring because Mr de Mita's men
pulled the rug out from under him.
After the election, the Christian
Democrats put forward Mr de Mi
ta for the Prime-Ministership and
Mr Craxi firmly vetoed the idea.
Neither party could govern with
out the other but the two leaders
could scarcely bear to be seen in
the same room.
It was left to President Frances
co Cossiga to break the deadlock.
He asked Mr Goria to try to form a
government and the ritual ceremo
nies of coalition bargaining began.
The government which has
emerged is one amounting to pow
er by proxy.
Mr Goria joined a leftish section
of the Christian Democrats when
he entered politics in 1960. He be
camc one of Mr dc Mita's most
fervent supporters for the party
leadership and is viewed as Mr dc;'
Mita's man. So as Prime Minister^
he is agreeable to Mr dc Mita and;.,
acceptable to the Socialists.
Meanwhile MrCraxi, aware that'*
he could not be Prime. Minister'?
himself and unwilling to accept a
lesser post, needed to maintain the*
Socialist Party's presence at the v
top levels of power. Thus the Dep
uty Prime Minister is to be a So
cialist, Giuliano Amato, a shrewd
and adaptable politician who was
at Mr Craxi's right hand during his
term in office.
Mr dc Mita and Mr Craxi both',
have their own men in place. But ,;
Mr Craxi has emerged as the win: _
ner in the process of eroding Chris- ~
tian Democratic power. Mr.
Amato, as well as being second iiv
command, is almost certain to be"
Treasury Minister — Mr Goria'§,,
old job. The Treasury is the high
est-spending ministry, a strongr.',
hold of what Mr Craxi regards as.lt
Christian Democratic hegemony 1
in real power.
Now Mr Craxi has put a Social™
ist into one of the Christian Demo;:,
crat bastions. Moreover, he has ^
reinforced the party's position!
without committing it to any deals;
or pacts restricting his freedom of'
action. The veteran Giulio An-j
dreotti is certain to keep the For-;
eign Ministry under a Christiani
Democratic thumb and the Interi-I
or Ministry will remain a party;
fiefdom. i
Mr Goria has quietly ushered'
out Franca Falcucci, the Education;
Minister, and her ministry appears;
to have lost control of university^
affairs to the Ministry of Scientific;
Research. He has confounded the;
warring bureaucracies of the Min-J
istries of Public Works and Trans-!
port by creating a Housing
Ministry. ;
He has also decided on a new
Ministry of Special Affairs, which,'
seems to be destined to safeguard'
the role of the family, as if any such,
measure were needed in Italian'
life. i
Much is expected of Mr Goria,>
whose standing in the opinion!
polls is high. But his friends arc;
fair-weather, his enemies nunier-.'
ous and his chances of governing'
for long uncertain. Most Christian
Democrats thihk a Goria Cabinet,
can survive until next spring and|
that should be time enough to test;
the mettle of the most veteran, let
alone the youngest, of Italian;
Prime Ministers.
$