Not only primaries and Ukraine. Yesterday, what sparked debate in the broad camp, with a dual and unexpected attack on Elly Schlein, was the open letter, published in Repubblica, that the PD secretary addressed to Giorgia Meloni, expressing her “willingness” to a “dialogue” to approve a series of measures on energy and climate. First Angelo Bonelli, then Giuseppe Conte publicly distanced themselves from the outstretched hand offered by the Democratic secretary to the prime minister. “In four years Meloni on the climate and energy issue has sabotaged all environmental and climate policies in the EU and Italy. After the electoral bribe on the car tax from Cetto La Qualunque, this outstretched hand to work together is incomprehensible,” said the Avs leader. Even harsher was the M5S president: “Today there are no conditions to work together with those who, the Meloni government, said they want to do drilling. We are going back to oil… Now Meloni better go home and let us work.” And from Conte came a new attack on Kiev: “If someone thinks of forming a progressive government continuing with the same policy of the Meloni government of sending weapons to Ukraine, rearming Germany where there are neo-Nazis and even going to spend 500 billion on US weapons from now until 2035, it will be impossible.”
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Before this double attack, the day, within the PD, had been dominated by the news, which Libero had reported two months ago, of Giorgio Gori’s willingness, former mayor of Bergamo and now a PD MEP, to run as the PD’s second candidate, representing the reformist area. Both inside and outside the PD. Another name circulating, but as a possible post-vote solution in case of a tie, is that of Antonio Decaro, former mayor of Bari and now president of Puglia. The scenario would concern the post-election period: Decaro, it is said, could be the compromise between Schlein and Conte if the center-left does not reach 42%, there is no certain victory, and therefore it would be necessary to broaden the coalition. Certainly, the search for a reformist candidate is on the table. Matteo Renzi’s Casa Riformista, Alessandro Onorato’s Progetto Civico, Ernesto Ruffini’s Più Uno would all have an interest in nominating someone to weigh themselves.
The leader of Italia Viva had approached the mayor of Genoa, Silvia Salis, but without success. Then he tried with Gori. The PD statute allows a double candidacy: the amendment was made in 2012 precisely to allow Renzi, then mayor of Florence, to run in the primaries challenging Pier Luigi Bersani.
The problem is that, in an already very open competition between Schlein and Conte, another PD candidate would take votes away from the secretary. It is true that then, in the second round, the votes could converge on her. But in the first round it would be a damage.
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Not by chance yesterday came the stop from Nazareno. “When this work on the program is finished,” said Francesco Boccia, “if the primaries are the coalition’s choice, we will be very happy to hold them, because the PD is the party of primaries, it is in our DNA. And the Democratic Party will have, as is normal, only one candidate.” And Eugenio Giani, president of Tuscany, very close to Stefano Bonaccini, also stepped back: if there were primaries, he said, “I would be with Elly Schlein, without any doubt. She is the leader of the Democratic Party, a party to which my community refers.” For the governor “it is the coherence of the work” that “leads us to strongly support Elly Schlein also by bringing what is the good governance of the Regions.” And on Gori’s reformist origin, Giani was clear. “I am and will always be a reformist,” but “Elly Schlein herself” is a reformist. And coldness, yesterday, was also recorded among the PD reformists. “None of us wants to weaken the secretary in front of Conte,” they said regarding the Gori hypothesis.
“We are calm and determined for Prato,” said another of them, referring to the appointment scheduled for September 26, where the area referring to Lorenzo Guerini will meet again. Renzi will reveal his cards at the Leopolda, in early October. He must keep together two needs: to oversee the reformist area and not damage Schlein, with whom he has made a pact of steel. For this reason, yesterday, regarding a Gori candidacy, he was very cautious: “I greatly respect Giorgio, we started together. He did very well as mayor and is doing very well as a European parliamentarian,” he said, calling him “a reformist at heart.” At the same time, he noted, being in the PD, he will have to respect the party rules: “I would not now go and discuss inside other people’s houses.”
As if to say: if Schlein does not want it, it will not happen. If Salis does not get convinced, the most likely hypothesis is that he will run.
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