They evidently nominated him without his knowledge, given that first he firmly denied it, then he gossiped about his presence or otherwise on the list of Brothers of Italy in the Campania regional elections. Gennaro Sangiuliano has finally revealed his cards: he will be none other than the head of Giorgia Meloni’s party. His period of purgatory, or distance from active politics, lasted a year or so. Well paid, by us taxpayers, in one of the most coveted roles in Rai: that of Paris correspondent.

All the comedy roles like Totò

Journalist, minister, biographer, RAI correspondent and for “Il Giornale”, now aspiring councilor (or councilor) in Campania, one day perhaps aspiring mayor of Naples or parliamentarian. Sangiuliano is like Totò, he wants to cover all the roles in the play, all the parts. While he was minister he boasted of being able to find the time to continue writing his books (now it’s the turn of Erdogan’s biography, after those already published on Trump and Putin). While France was grappling with a heavy political crisis, he was preparing his return to the field in his home territory.

He thinks one and he does a hundred, Sangiuliano, the only minister that the Meloni Government has lost along the way, with the exception of Raffaele Fitto promoted to the EU Commission. Not even Daniela Santanché, despite the legal troubles, had given up her job. He is, yes, shaken by a delicate personal affair: the so-called “Boccia case”, the sentimental feuilleton that revived the summer of 2024. Maria Rosaria Boccia will also be in the game, in Campania (with the list of Stefano Bandecchi, the mayor of Terni), but she will hardly be able to overcome the ex-minister’s loot of preferences, pushed by local big shots who will do their best to get him a good result. The two, therefore, will cross paths at the polls and not only in the Court.

Doubts about the dual role

According to many, Sangiuliano’s role as Rai correspondent and candidate could constitute a violation of the company’s Code of Ethics (and also that of the Journalists’ Association). The elevator between politics and journalism always goes up and down, to the left as well as to the right. Lately the elevator has been smoother on the right. Sangiuliano doesn’t care, he talks about Macron’s future but in reality he thinks about De Luca’s. Or rather, to those who come after him. The center-right believes it: Edmondo Cirielli, the coalition candidate, can do it, the push against the center-left can be given, especially if Vincenzo De Luca’s “caciques” wink this way, so as not to help the five-star Roberto Fico.

He denied wanting to run until the end

“Sangiuliano was bullied, he has the right to be a candidate”, Cirielli defends him. The former MSI, therefore, tries again with politics: he wants revenge, the rehabilitation of this world, which has always fascinated him. The “tarantella” between Rai (where he had already directed Tg2 before being called to the Meloni Government) and public offices is a bit cloying. To “Il Foglio”, just a week ago, he denied wanting to run as a candidate, when posters of electoral dinners with his face and the party symbol, with Cirielli and the minister Francesco Lollobrigida, were already circulating in Campania. At the same time he managed to show off his class again: «I’m on holiday, but if you want I’ll make you the list of ministers of the Lecornu government», he was quick to point out to Salvatore Merlo. Just as he insists on explaining, in every interview, that he is able to address the greats of France on first terms. Even to the one who is politically furthest from him: Jean-Luc Mélenchon of “France Insoumise”, the most left-wing in Parliament, a Fratoianni with the most votes. In any case, Sangiuliano’s candidacy is weighty. He will never be able to entertain us like the outgoing governor De Luca, but his parable is worth following. It’s a shame to have to pay him a month’s leave of absence, while he will be busy with the electoral campaign.