Sergio Mattarella greeted us with a short message and a thread of emotion. He did not leave any openings for the possible “encore”, indeed to avoid misunderstandings his speech (standing in front of a window of the study in the Palazzina overlooking the illuminated gardens of the Quirinale) he carefully avoided any reference to what he will have to do. ‘Italy when he will no longer be president. No plans for the future, therefore; if anything, a final balance of the seven years spent at the Quirinale, which Mattarella defined as “demanding and complex”, guaranteeing that he always worked to fulfill his task according to the Constitution.
All the more reason it was not a speech in “politichese”, if anything political (but in the best sense). The sense is that the country must strive to remain united. And the true patriots are not those who divide him, but those who do their best to keep him together in times of difficulty (“patriotism concretely expressed”, he defined it). Indeed, the strength of our people is precisely “the aptitude to preserve the cohesion of the country, to feel part of the same destiny”. Mattarella believes he has done everything possible to represent national unity. He guarantees that he has worked in all circumstances to carry out his task “in strict compliance with the constitutional provisions”. Soon it will be up to another. And with great respect, without interfering in the choice of a successor, Mattarella lists the duties and responsibilities of a president, almost tracing his ideal identikit. Which is certainly not that of a de gaulle or Napoleon again.
First of all, he recalls in the message, “the Constitution entrusts the head of state with the task of representing national unity”. The tenant of the Colle can never lose his relationship with society, he must always count on “support from citizens”. Furthermore, as soon as he is elected, he has the need to “strip himself of all previous membership and take on the sole responsibility of the general interest”. There cannot be a party Guarantor, nor an Arbiter who claims to play. The president, Mattarella recalls, citing Einaudi, must “safeguard the role, powers and prerogatives of the institution he receives from his predecessor and which he must pass on intact to his successor”. So don’t let the bullies put your feet on your head.
There was no shortage of thanks to Parliament, to the four premieres with whom he loyally collaborated, to the five governments that took the oath in his hands. Yes, because “the governability that the institutions have helped to achieve has allowed the country, especially in some particularly difficult and demanding passages, to avoid dangerous leaps in the dark”. An implicit advice to those who will come after him. And an almost contemptuous response to those who wanted to push Italy to the polls even during the pandemic, from which we are recovering thanks to vaccines; that they are a “precious tool not because they guarantee invulnerability but because they represent the defense that allows us to decisively reduce damage and risks, for oneself and for others”. Not using them is “also an offense to those who have not had this opportunity and to those who are unable to have it today”.
Mattarella concluded in the sign of hope: «Italy will grow. And it will do so the more it becomes aware of the common destiny of our people, and of the peoples of Europe ». From now until February 3, the last day of his mandate, the 12th president will not make speeches or participate in ceremonies and observe silence.