RAI board votes for Foa president

(ANSA) - Rome, September 21 - The board of State broadcaster RAI on Friday voted to nominate Marcello Foa its new president, sources said. The board also nominated Foa, the government's pick to lead the network, in July, but parliament's oversight body of the State broadcaster failed to ratify the appointment.
    This time, however, Foa is expected to get a majority vote as ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right Forza Italia party is tipped to drop its opposition.
    Deputy Premier and 5-Star Movement leader Luigi Di Maio said Foa was "an independent journalist" and said he hoped the oversight body would approve him this time around.
    He said the whole process had been "in the light of day", denying secret deals.
    Berlusconi reportedly agreed to Foa at a meeting with ruling League leader Matteo Salvini where he reportedly received assurances on his Mediaset media empire, RAI's rival.
    Foa is a controversial figure due to previous Euroskeptic, pro-Putin, anti-vaccine, anti-gay and anti-immigrant stances and his sharing of fake news including Hillary Clinton's supposed Satanic dinners.