When an agreement on the center-left leadership still seemed far off, Genoa's mayor Silvia Salis intervened in the debate with a wide-ranging television interview. In the Che Tempo Che Fa studio, she was greeted with prolonged applause. "Greeted with an ovation, never anyone," Fabio Fazio welcomed her. After taking the leap forward—in which she had expressed her willingness to take on the center-left leadership role—she reiterated: "I am the mayor of Genoa."
He highlights the centrality of the "progressive camp," emphasizes the issue of labor, and reiterates his opposition to the primaries: "I don't want to see a race" among the leaders because to win, you have to be focused "on the objective," while on the left, there's the risk—always lurking—of fragmentation and therefore "irrelevance." And not only would he not participate prominently in the primaries, he says, but he wouldn't even vote: "I'm consistent; both Schlein and Conte supported me in Genoa, it wouldn't be right. I would vote in the general election." These words come on the day Democratic Party secretary Elly Schlein, in a lengthy interview with the Spanish newspaper El País, reiterates her position on the ongoing contest over the choice of the Campo Largo candidate for prime minister. "We'll reach an agreement," she reassures.
"It will be who gets the most votes or there will be coalition primaries," explains the Democratic leader. She has always said she's ready to run if the final say is left to the polls. Then she extends a hand to her allies: "We're not starting from scratch because in these three years we've put forward many legislative proposals together." Among other issues, Schlein cites labor, healthcare, and industrial policies. She emphasizes that unity "is a demand from the voters" and highlights the "new climate" created by the opposition forces to "overcome divisions and personalisms." The road to finding a consensus on the choice of leader, however, remains uphill . The M5S is the first to mark the gap, with vice president Stefano Patuanelli insisting on internal doubts within the Democratic Party regarding the primaries. "It's a bit surprising," she insists, "that they come from the political side that has always proposed them." Then she establishes a point. "We live in a political system," he says, "where there's also a conflict between leaders, and progressives must choose the one who will embody their program. I see no alternative to primaries to do so." In short, the M5S doesn't like the idea of handing the leadership to the party that gets the most votes—as Schlein hypothesized.
Furthermore, a clear line is emerging among the Five Star Movement. Even if the leaders fail to reach an agreement on the primaries—the reasoning goes—there needs to be an indication from the leader, a factor considered "constitutive" of an electoral program. The automatic extra vote, for the Five Star Movement, is not politically sound; the goal remains to find the person who will lead the project to present to voters . M5S President Giuseppe Conte reiterates his readiness to act as the coalition's "center forward," as the Democratic Party secretary has expressed her willingness. But first, work must be done on the program. The Democratic Party has begun its listening campaign, while the M5S will begin the deliberative democracy phase of "Nova." While waiting to bridge the gap on the most divisive issues and resolve the leadership issue, the leaders of the broader coalition are meeting in Rome for the 55th anniversary celebration of the newspaper "Il Manifesto." Between the buffet and the DJ set, Schlein, Conte, and Nicola Fratoianni hug and stop to chat.
(Unioneonline)
