Debate among the leaders of Italy's centre-left parties has heated up even before the thematic tables on a joint programme have met. After Giuseppe Conte set rigid conditions on Matteo Renzi's entry into the coalition, the Italia Viva leader raised his voice in response, pointing to what he called the 5 Star Movement's "wearisome polemic".
Renzi rejected any suggestion that he would rely on allies for a parliamentary seat. "I will not be a candidate on the majority list, by my own choice. If I return to Parliament, I will do it with my own votes, not with the little help of the 5 Stars or the PD," he said, adding that he has been elected without interruption for more than twenty years by taking votes rather than "scrounging passages".
The central knot remains the primaries, from their rules to who takes part. The PD would reportedly prefer a head-to-head contest or, as an alternative, a run-off, while the 5 Star Movement favours a broader, single-round competition. A number of possible candidates are already circulating: alongside Conte and Elly Schlein, names mentioned include Alessandro Onorato of Progetto Civico, Franco Gabrielli for Più Uno, a representative of Alleanza Verdi Sinistra, Riccardo Magi for Più Europa and a figurehead for Italia Viva. Whether that figure could be Renzi himself, described as a possible extreme provocation to Conte, is not confirmed by his headquarters.
For Alleanza Verdi Sinistra, the idea of fielding historian Michela Ponzani — recently involved in a sharp exchange with Ignazio La Russa over the "giovedì nero" of Milan — was quashed immediately. Ponzani denied it "categorically" on Instagram, writing that she is not interested in taking part in the centre-left primaries and that nobody has asked her, and that she limits herself to her work as a historian; anyone wishing to challenge what she writes or says should do so with sources.
Leaders must now pick a date to launch the thematic tables on the programme, probably within the week, with one hypothesis pointing to a day between Tuesday and Wednesday. Progressive MPs are reportedly almost certain that work will begin with labour, one of the areas of greatest convergence between the parties. To that end, Wednesday's session of the competent Chamber commission, where work on the minimum wage resumes, could prove timely: the broad-alliance hypothesis is to raise the initial proposal of nine euros an hour to ten in line with inflation.
Igor Taruffi, the PD's organisation chief, struck an upbeat note. "We are not starting from zero," he said, explaining that the parties will build on bills and shared resolutions produced in Parliament in recent years, covering labour, the defence of public healthcare and schools, with an energy bill also due shortly. On Ukraine, the most divisive issue, Taruffi argued that positions are "not so irreconcilable" and that while more days may be needed, he is not worried.
Sources: ANSA Politica.