Confindustria, Gozzi has the quorum to run. But it’s controversial: it’s out of time

GENOA. Antonio Gozzi today submitted the assembly resolutions in support of him to the wise men. With a “percentage greater than 25%”, sources say, compared to the 20% required, the president of Duferco and Federacciai would therefore have access to the final on 4 April, when the general council will be called to designate the next president of Confindustria.

Edoardo Garrone, candidate in pole position so far, had already obtained certification of his 20% share before the consultations began (today it would be at 26%-28%). The third candidate in the running is the Emilian Emanuele Orsini, who also has, as it transpires, a consensus of over 20%. For Gozzi and Orsini the certification of the essays is still missing, which will be pronounced in the next few days.

Having started by offering his willingness to run and then displaced by Garrone’s entry into the field supported by Assolombarda and Piedmont, Gozzi seems to be the underdog of the Confindustria competition. According to sources close to him, the steel and energy industrialist has gathered widespread consensus, from North to South (Bergamo, Brescia, Naples, Savona, Treviso and others), and in many sectors crucial for the industry Italian (pharmaceuticals, fashion, wood-furniture, chemistry, steel, glass, paper, cement).

There is no shortage of controversy. In some Confindustria circles it is explained that part of the resolutions delivered to the wise men would have been adopted after 11 March, the last day of consultations, and for this reason they would be “out of time”. Other technical Confindustria sources, however, point out that “there is no peremptorily defined deadline, it is up to the wise men to evaluate the validity of the resolutions delivered by each candidate and then make a decision”.

Garrone has already received the approval of the wise men, Gozzi and Orsini are waiting. If all 3 are admitted to the vote on April 4th, the candidate who obtains 50% plus one of the votes in the first round will win, otherwise the top two will go to a run-off. There are 184 councilors on the council and voting is done by secret ballot.