ROME -- Whilst new Five Star Movement (M5S) mayor Virginia Raggi’s city council members are almost all decided, there is tension and rancour in the ranks of the party as Rome’s first female leader struggles to keep control of the reins and resist the pressure put on by the party’s raucous founder, Beppe Grillo.

 The council is set to be announced on Thursday over which fraught and endless meetings have been taking place, not helped by Grillo’s telephone call on Friday instructing Ms Raggi to withdraw Raffaele Marra from the table for the position of Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary.

 The re-elected public advisor Daniele Frongia has accepted his move from head of the council to vice-mayor, as asked for by the parliamentarians, who are convinced of the need to have a “political” deputy who will then be controllable by the Movement.

 As part of a consolation package, Frongia will obtain a weighty delegation in the subsidiary companies.  To take up his mantle as head of the cabinet former council member to Ignazio Marino, Daniela Morgante, has been nominated.

 The magistrate of the Court of Auditors has now officially granted permission for this change of role to occur, despite its suggestion at such a late stage, leaving the Economics ministerial position the final one left to fill, after Morgante has been bumped up.

 It is reported that it could be leader of the National Business and Stock Exchange Commission Marcello Minenna, who it would seem is the new favourite for Accountant General of the Capitol.  Also vying for Transport alderman is Enrico Stefano who has said his “available for a position.”

 The council will certainly be rather ad hoc in any case, with a councillor supported by various technical positions.  Raggi, however, will reportedly host the staff delegation.  “That’s what she said, speaking to our assembly,” said RSU Roma Capital coordinator, Giancarlo Cosentino.

 For now the certain positions are those of Paolo Berdini for Planning, Paola Muraro in charge of Environment, Andrea Lo Cicero for Sport, Luca Bergamo for Culture, Flavia Marzano for Streamline-Smart City and Laura Baldassarre for Social Policies.

 Raggi has admitted however that the M5S parliamentarians have “Wound up Grillo” and that now she “only speaks to Luigi Di Maio.”  As a result the mayor has been relying of the mediation of the Vice President of the Chamber, who has helped her greatly over the last bit.

 Yet the atmosphere is tense in the M5S headquarters where it is generally agreed that Grillo has been particularly hard on the new mayor, so whilst the council may not be far away, people may be another story.

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