Daniela Santanchè has resigned as Minister of Tourism . The decision came after pressure from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni , following the defeat of the "Yes" vote in the referendum on justice reform, and following the resignations of Undersecretary Andrea Delmastro and Giusi Bartolozzi, Chief of Staff of the Minister of Justice Nordio.
Santanchè took her time, but—after a motion of no confidence was scheduled in Parliament—she finally decided to formalize her exit from the government team . "Dear Giorgia, I submit to you, as you officially requested, my resignation from the role of minister that you had entrusted to me and which I believe I have fulfilled to the best of my ability and without any objections," reads the letter sent by Santanchè to the Prime Minister. "I thank you," the now former minister adds, "for the recognition and trust you have shown me during these years of leading the Ministry of Tourism. I wanted (and I hope you will understand) to make it publicly clear that it was you who asked me to leave this role because, as I have always said, I would only resign at your explicit and public request. I wanted it to be clear," Santanchè continues in the letter, "for the sake of my honor, that I am stepping back, unnecessarily , only at the request that the leader of my Party deems useful and appropriate. I was and am keen to emphasize that to date my criminal record is spotless and that for the redundancy fund affair there is not even a simple indictment."
Again, Santanchè writes, "Yesterday, perhaps brusquely (you'll understand my state of mind), I expressed to you my unwillingness to resign immediately because I wanted it to be separate from the comments on the referendum because I didn't want to be the scapegoat for a defeat that was certainly not my fault , given the result in Lombardy and even in my own municipality." And he continues: "I also wanted my resignation to be separate from the contingent and very different issue involving Delmastro, who is also paying a high price. Having clarified this, I have no difficulty saying 'I obey' and doing what you ask of me. I won't hide a bit of bitterness over the outcome of my ministerial journey," Santanchè concludes, "but in my life . I care more about our friendship and the future of our movement."
