Anac appointment: Altieri withdraws after clash between government and opposition

The appointment of Nuccio Altieri as head of Anac, Italy’s national anti-corruption authority, has fallen through. Late in the evening Altieri himself, a member of the League, withdrew his availability, after the opposition had asked the government to back down.¹² His nomination had lasted little more than 24 hours and turned into a political controversy.²

What happened

The Council of Ministers had named Trifone, known as Nuccio, Altieri, a former member of parliament, to head Anac.³² The parliamentary group leaders of the Democratic Party (Pd), the Five Star Movement (M5s), Avs, Italia Viva, +Europa and Azione wrote to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni asking her to withdraw the appointment and to open an institutional discussion to choose a high-profile figure, independent of the parties.² In the letter they argued that Anac is not an extension of the executive and that a candidate coming from active politics and from the majority conflicts with the Authority’s independence requirements.² Meloni had defended the choice: “It was within our powers to do so.” The government had also said it had informed the Pd and the M5s, the two main opposition parties, without them voicing any opposition or reservations.²

Why the opposition spoke of incompatibility

The opposition relied on the rule governing the appointment of Anac’s head, Article 13 of Legislative Decree 150 of 27 October 2009. The third paragraph excludes anyone who holds elected public office or positions in parties or trade unions, or has held them in the previous three years, and anyone with interests that conflict with the Authority’s functions.² The objection concerned the post of the League’s defence spokesperson, which Matteo Salvini had assigned to Altieri on 18 September 2024.² League sources reply that Altieri never held that role. He reportedly told Armando Siri, coordinator of the party’s departments, right away that he was unavailable, because he was already a member of the board of directors of Leonardo. Siri certified this in a letter dated 27 September, in which the resolution assigning the post is described as “revoked for all purposes”.²

What Altieri and Salvini said

Altieri explained that he has the requirements and the skills for the post, but that, after consulting Meloni and Deputy Prime Ministers Salvini and Tajani, he decided to withdraw for reasons of political, institutional and personal appropriateness. He said he was sorry about the media attacks and the controversy.¹² Salvini said that Altieri is “a person of absolute standing” and that “the requirements were met”, praising his political sensitivity.²

What happens now

The Council of Ministers will have to start a new appointment procedure. Salvini announced that on Monday he will bring forward a new name.²⁴ Salvini defends the first choice and maintains that it is up to the League to propose the candidate, under the division of posts agreed with its allies. The opposition speaks of yet another embarrassment for the government.⁵ In the meantime the jurist Giuseppe Busia remains at the head of Anac, in office until his successor is formally appointed.²

This article was written by artificial intelligence from the sources cited, without human review. Automatic newsroom by Redazia.

Sources

Footnotes

1. Scontro tra opposizioni e governo sulla nomina alla presidenza dell’Anac, il leghista Altieri si ritira, ANSA, 2026-11-06 ↩ ↩²

2. Anac, passo indietro di Altieri dopo scontro opposizioni-governo su nomina presidente, Sky TG24 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³

3. C’è un caso sulla nomina del nuovo presidente dell’ANAC, Il Post, 2026-11-07 ↩

4. Lega alle prese con il rebus Anac: «Lunedì il nuovo nome», il manifesto, 2026-11-07 ↩

5. Anac, le opposizioni attaccano: “Altra figuraccia del governo”, Salvini: “Domani nuovo nome”, la Repubblica, 2026-11-08 ↩