The Tuscan Pony Falls

In the course of a 29-year career in Italian politics, feisty little (5 ft. 4 in.) Amintore Fanfani, 67, has been sometimes down and almost out. He has also been Premier three times, a Cabinet minister in seven governments other than his own, and twice secretary (party leader) of the Christian Democrats, including a stint for the past two years. Last week his leadership of the Christian Democrats, Italy's largest party, ended abruptly. At an emergency national council of the party, Fanfani, whose conglomeration of nicknames Includes "the Tuscan Pony," "the Pint-Sized Napoleon," "Little Caesar" and "il Padrino " (the godfather) was booted out on a vote of no confidence.

The council of 200 delegates from all across Italy had been called to chart new political directions in the wake of disastrous setbacks for the Christian Democrats in the recent regional elections (TIME, June 30). As the delegates arrived at party headquarters in EUR, a suburb of Rome, many of them had obviously already picked a primary target for the "renewal." They blamed Christian Democratic losses and sizable Communist Party gains directly on Fanfani, who is the unquestioned leader of the factionalized party's right wing.

Changing Moods. Critics charged that Fanfani still approaches politics in terms of cold war antiCommunism. By ignoring vast social changes in Italy as well as voter unrest over government corruption, recession and unemployment and the decaying quality of life, he had, they believed, led the party into a series of humiliating defeats, culminating in the regional elections.

Fanfani has never been known to back down from a fight. He opened the six-day council with a lengthy speech that defended his hard-line political stand and made only vague mention of error or misjudgment. He also said that he would not step down voluntarily as secretary. "My flight would only produce further damage," Fanfani said. Amid angry cries of "blackmail," he linked his own political future to that of the fragile center-left coalition government of current Premier Aldo Moro.

Other Christian Democratic leaders tried to persuade Fanfani to resign gracefully. Moro conceded that the Christian Democrats had been guilty of an "arrogance of power" for not recognizing the changing moods of youth, women and labor. He professed "solidarity" with Fanfani but firmly dissociated the fate of the party secretary from that of his own government.

Fanfani rebuffed all effort at compromise. "He will carry the cross to Calvary if necessary," one supporter announced solemnly. His intransigence Infuriated the critics. "Fanfani has to go," said one, "even if we have to remove him with an ambulance and two male nurses." Finally, the only recourse was the vote of confidence that the secretary demanded. Watching Impassively as the delegates balloted, Fanfani lost by a vote of 103-69, with eight abstentions. After three days of wrangling, the delegates chose Benigno Zaccagnini, 63, Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies, as an interim successor.

The meeting was a turning point for the party, which would have been discomfited whether it kept the Tuscan Pony in harness or deposed him. By ousting their controversial secretary, the Christian Democrats have made it all but impossible to risk a confrontation with the Communists in early national elections. If Moro's government is to survive, its only choice is to accept the popular shift to the left and grant more concessions to the Socialists, who also gamed in the regional elections and are now indispensable to the success of any center-left coalition that the Christian Democrats seek to form. The Socialist price for coalition support is certain to be increasingly important seats in the Cabinet, along with a voice in policymaking of some sort for the Communists, --which old Cold Warrior Fanfani had steadfastly refused even to consider.

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