Rai: Meloni-Schlein face-off skipped due to lack of majority

"Only four of the eight lists represented in Parliament accepted Rai's invitation to a two-way confrontation between leaders on the basis of representative strength. For this reason, in the absence of the majority required by the Communications Guarantee Authority, Rai believes it cannot schedule any confrontation under the terms previously proposed". This was explained in a note from Viale Mazzini. Saying no were M5S, Forza Italia, Azione and Alleanza Verdi-Sinistra. 'The public service will continue to guarantee, as it has always done, respect for par pondicio in news and in-depth programmes with the balance and fairness recognised by the same Authority,' the Rai note concludes. There will therefore be no confrontation between the leader of Fdi Giorgia Meloni and that of the Pd Elly Schlein scheduled for 23 May at Porta a Porta

"In the last two electoral rounds (2022/2024) we have not been allowed to broadcast comparisons between the Prime Minister (yesterday Letta, today Meloni) and the most representative leader of the opposition (yesterday Meloni, today Schlein). We were forbidden to have a comparison between two women who for the first time in Italian history are at the top in their respective roles. Is this a victory for democracy? I'm not convinced' This was Bruno Vespa's comment.

The format proposed by Bruno Vespa started with the TV duel between Giorgia Meloni and Elly Schlein and continued with the two-way confrontation between the other leaders. While the director of TgLa7 Enrico Mentana had launched the idea of a double confrontation between the minor lists on 5 June and on 6 June between the major ones. According to the Agcom Council, which voted against Elisa Giomi, it is necessary to guarantee equal treatment by offering 'all political subjects the same opportunity for confrontation'. "Transmissions dedicated to confrontation," the Authority went on to explain, "can be considered legitimate where the relative format is accepted by a large majority of the lists in electoral competition and in any case by the majority of the lists with representation in Parliament. Any compensatory spaces for those who have to give up the format of the comparisons must be organised in compliance with the principle of the same listening opportunities".

"Giorgia Meloni was the first Prime Minister who made herself available for a confrontation with the main opposition political force in view of an important electoral appointment. Unfortunately, Agcom has taken on board the arguments of those who wanted to prevent this confrontation. Fratelli d'Italia takes note of this and confirms its availability for confrontation through its political representatives, without wasting the Prime Minister's time". This was stated by Fratelli d'Italia's members of the RAI Vigilance Commission.

'There are those who prefer to give up an opportunity for a prime-time confrontation in order to deny it to the two women who lead Italy's first two parties'. This is how Pd secretary Elly Schlein commented on the failure to confront her and Giorgia Meloni on RAI on the sidelines of an election appointment in Cesano Boscone in the Milan area. "We will not stop, we will continue this tour of 100 stages for the Europe we want, at this point we will add a few more stages," she concluded, "to talk about the issues of health, work and the minimum wage."