«This broad field is a mess.» A blunt and effective definition whose author is none other than Romano Prodi, twice prime minister, father of the Olive Tree, bringer of primaries to Italy, progenitor of the PD. He is the one who, in Il Foglio, with striking synthesis, commented on the week that is about to end. The one in which aid to Kiev, the recourse to the Safe, and European defense first created clashes between Schlein and Conte, then a unitary resolution of the broad field that, however, was not shared by the center of the coalition and split the PD, with reformists strongly critical. The noble father of the center-left gave advice to the leaders of the coalition under construction: «Make a decision on foreign policy.
For now, they are just confused, one says one thing, another says something else and that’s it. But they will have to make a decision.» And this is exactly the point that, upon resumption, the leaders of the broad field will have to resolve: make a program, especially define the points on which they disagree (military aid to Ukraine, European defense) and decide, so that the winner of the primaries is bound to an agenda shared by all. But this is not the only problem to solve. The other, still unclear, is the perimeter of the alliance. So far, in fact, the three parties of the hard core of the center-left have moved, albeit with skirmishes and divisions, those of the photo at the tavern in Campo dei Fiori: PD, M5S, Avs. But what about the center of the coalition? The last resolution, the one on the Safe, established the deep distances between the triad PD-M5S-Avs and the rest, that is Italia Viva and +Europa. Therefore, still regarding the program, once a compromise is found between PD, M5S, Avs, it will also have to be found with this part of the coalition, decisive to win. But, even before discussing weapons and Kiev, it is necessary to understand, first of all, who will be part of it. Another unresolved issue. The M5S, in fact, continues to have reservations about Matteo Renzi. The support for Alessandro Onorato’s project aims exactly at ousting the Iv leader. However, he has Schlein’s support. Another problem, however, is how to choose the candidate who will lead the coalition to Palazzo Chigi. Yesterday, in an interview with Il Messaggero, the Democratic secretary said she was ready to be prime minister. She reiterated the two options: «We will make an agreement with whoever gets one more vote or we will hold primaries, in any case my availability is total because we feel the responsibility as the main opposition force in the country to give our contribution.» Where the novelty is in the second part of the sentence, that is in the asserted «availability» to take on the burden (and honor) of governing. In other words: Conte is not the only one in the race. A start. At the moment the most plausible option is the primaries, since the new electoral law continues its course, will be approved upon resumption and, in the text, the obligation to indicate the prime minister candidate is provided. And here a new problem opens, not small at all: the rules of the primaries. It is easy, in fact, to say coalition primaries.
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It will be necessary to establish how to hold them. And the devil is in the details. First: will they be single-round (as preferred by M5S) or two-round (as happened in 2012 and as Schlein would like)? Will voting be exclusively in person (as the PD wants) or will it be possible to vote online as well (as is the tradition of consultations held by M5S)? But in this case, which platform will manage the online vote? That of M5S or (to guarantee everyone) another? And which one? Another big problem: the electorate. Presumably, to avoid the vote being contaminated by voters not from the center-left, it will be necessary to define who can vote. But how? In 2012, prior registration before the day of voting was required. And on the timing of pre-registration, a fierce clash took place between Pierluigi Bersani and Matteo Renzi. Will the same be done? But how long before will one have to register? One day, one week, one month? And who will keep the register of registered voters? Another question: will those who register have to sign a card in which they adhere to the center-left program or not? All apparent details, but which, in reality, can affect the result. For this reason, the discussion will not be trivial. Meanwhile, Renzi, last night guest at the Festa dell’Unità in Villalunga, announced that the next Leopolda, the last before the political elections, will be dedicated to Ithaca. “To reclaim Ithaca, to reconquer Ithaca, to find Ithaca. To return to Ithaca!”. Soundtrack, a song by Lucio Dalla from 1971. And who knows what will be in that return.
