"I have never shared the agreement with the League". "The only true quick-change artist of the Psd'Az is Solinas". "With Truzzu we fell from the frying pan into the fire". Gianni Chessa speaks on Radiolina's microphones, after yesterday's official move to Forza Italia. The former regional councilor for Tourism and now opposition councilor in the highest Sardinian assembly took more than one stone out of his shoe in today's episode of Caffè corretto. Positions that on the political level are worth boulders ( here the full interview ).
On joining Forza Italia – “blessed” yesterday by the press conference in Rome in the presence of the national secretary, Antonio Tajani, and the regional secretary, Pietro Pittalis –, Chessa reiterated «we have always been in Forza Italia, this is the home of moderates». A clear, limpid position, which had been discussed in political circles for months, concretized in yesterday's official announcement. An injection of votes for the Berlusconi party determined to return to 20 percent in that prairie of consensus that is the center area. But Chessa's statements have weight above all for the rereading of his farewell to the Psd'Az, for the definitive break with the former president Christian Solinas, for the evaluation of the choices made by the center-right in the February 2024 regional elections.
Almost six years after the embrace with Salvini's Carroccio, which at the end of 2018 led to the indication of Solinas as candidate for president of the Region, Chessa says: «I have never shared the agreement with the League. I am proud of having freed the Psd'Az from this choice. The League is a party that has never been culturally accepted in Sardinia. Then it was a party of good people. But culturally the Sardinians have never accepted it. Solinas made that agreement to guarantee his spaces».
On the internal relations of the Psd'Az and the reasons that determined the migration to Forza Italia , Chessa – who left together with the other two elected to the Regional Council, Alfonso Marras and Piero Maieli – said: «There were no longer the conditions to remain in the party. The secretary – namely Solinas – offended people. A mea culpa should be made : we had asked him to take a step back, we lost the elections because of the secretary Christian Solinas and the political action he took. He accuses the others of opportunism and of doing vulgar politics, but he doesn't tell people that when he was president of the Region, he immediately took away two councilors from Venti20, he took away some from the Reformers, from the Five Stars. He was making purchases. Isn't that opportunism?».
Chessa, in any case, does not say he regrets having been a member of the Psd'Az. On the contrary. "Leaving it was a painful choice. All Sardinians should be Sardisti for the good of our Island. Sardinia. But when you have a secretary who thinks about doing his own interests and not those of the Island, it's a problem. In five years, an issue in this sense has never been brought forward". And on the fact that he only decided to come clean today, Chessa said: " There has always been discontent. After Solinas in government, the League has now lost regional councilors and the Psd'Az doesn't even have one left. Is it possible that the fault always lies with others and not with him? "
On the choice of nominating the former mayor of Cagliari, Paolo Truzzu, for the presidency of the Region in the center-right quota instead of Solinas, Chessa said: «I am always very sincere and direct. Making a coup against Solinas was right. He is under investigation, even if I hope he gets out of it. Solinas had to be changed. But another name was in play. Truzzu takes over and becomes the candidate because the parties feared that Solinas would win again». Asked specifically about the “third name”, the former Tourism councilor said: «It could have also been Alessandra Zedda, we would have won with anyone».