Forza Italia crisis deepens in Sicily as Schifani weighs resignation

Palermo — A political crisis has deepened within Forza Italia in Sicily, with regional president Renato Schifani considering whether to resign after the party’s regional leadership cast doubt on his possible re-election in 2027.

The immediate trigger is the corruption investigation involving Gaetano Armao, Schifani’s former legal adviser and a prominent figure close to the governor. Palermo prosecutors have requested Armao’s arrest on corruption allegations, while police footage reportedly showed him hiding money in a grandfather clock after allegedly receiving a bribe.

The investigation has also drawn attention to a police photograph in which Schifani reportedly appears alongside Armao. The image has added to scrutiny surrounding the governor’s relationship with his former adviser as investigators examine the alleged bribery. However, Schifani’s presence in the photograph does not in itself establish any involvement in the alleged offences.

The case has placed renewed pressure on Schifani, who had already faced criticism within the centre right over the performance of his government, including the management of Sicily’s water crisis and the use of European recovery funds.

Tensions escalated after Nino Minardo, Forza Italia’s commissioner in Sicily, told provincial party leaders that the island needed “a completely new political proposal”. The remarks were widely understood as a challenge to Schifani’s expected bid for a second term.

Minardo subsequently said there was “a great demand for change” and that the party had a responsibility to respond when events risked undermining public confidence in political institutions.

Schifani initially rejected reports that he was preparing to resign. But after the latest confrontation, he said he was considering his position and would communicate his decision shortly.

The dispute has also brought him into direct conflict with Forza Italia national secretary Antonio Tajani. According to ANSA, the two had a tense telephone conversation over the growing disagreement, with the question of Schifani’s re-election at the centre of the dispute. While Schifani has regarded a second term as his political objective, doubts have emerged within the party leadership over whether he should be its candidate in the 2027 regional elections.

Forza Italia is now attempting to prevent the dispute from turning into an immediate collapse of the regional government. Minardo has proposed a meeting in Rome involving himself, Tajani and Schifani to establish the party’s political strategy for Sicily. No date has yet been fixed.

According to reports, the proposed solution could involve Forza Italia maintaining its support for Schifani until the end of the legislature while reconsidering his candidacy for a second term. The arrangement would depend on whether Schifani accepts the political path proposed by the party.

The stakes are also institutional. Schifani has called a meeting of the regional cabinet at Palazzo d’Orleans for Thursday, 8 October, with the agenda including the “most urgent measures”. According to ANSA, he could use the meeting to announce his resignation.

If Schifani were to resign, the regional legislature would end early and the first possible date for elections would be 13 December. Until then, the government would be restricted to ordinary administration, while the regional budget would have to operate under provisional arrangements.

An early election would also have consequences for members of the Sicilian Regional Assembly elected for the first time in 2022, as the pension requirement of four years, six months and one day would not be reached until May 2027.

The wider centre right is also watching the dispute closely. Fratelli d’Italia has previously shown interest in putting forward its own candidate for Palazzo d’Orleans, while the uncertainty surrounding Schifani has reopened the question of which party should lead the coalition into the next regional election.

For now, however, no resignation has been formally submitted. The immediate focus is on whether Tajani, Minardo and Schifani can reach an agreement before the crisis brings the Sicilian legislature to an early end.

PS