Boccia: “Schlein and Conte? Primaries, or the leading party chooses its leader”. The Dibba factor (even at polling stations)

Francesco Boccia responds to the real or alleged figureheads and the behind-the-scenes manoeuvring. He is acting as a bridge-builder – yesterday he was with Conte – and clears the air: “Neither guarantors nor unifiers. It’s about politics. Either we hold primaries or, as is only right, the largest party in the coalition will choose the leader.” Schlein is playing for time, postponing the decision until September. But at the Nazareno, they are mapping out their next moves and taking precautions. There is always the Di Battista factor, which certainly worries Giuseppe Conte. But now it is also causing some concern within the PD, ahead of the party meetings: under what rules? The former M5S member has not achieved his goal – no referendum on public funding for newspapers – but he is jubilant: “We have collected over 370,000 signatures.” The vast majority of these were collected online. 

Dibba says some things and leaves others unsaid. But he assures us: “We’re moving forward”. Whether this involves a list, a party or other battles – such as the one over public funding for the media – remains to be seen. Had she reached her target of half a million signatures, the momentum would certainly have been different, but between now and 17 August, the former Five Star Movement activist already has six events lined up, including shows, book launches and peace initiatives. A party of her own, first and foremost, would be a problem for the Movement. Meanwhile, however, the Ministry of Justice’s website has tallied the figures and shows that the online signatures collected by the Schierarsi association totalled over 264,000, whilst following Schlein’s interview with "Il Foglio", the press closest to the M5S has stepped up its criticism of the secretary. Furthermore, Dibba, who is often critical of the M5S, does not direct the same vehemence towards the former prime minister. Within the PD, there are those who play down the issue, but there are also those – fuelled by polls suggesting that left-wing voters prefer Conte to Schlein – who have started asking questions again about polling stations and the rules. There is a fear of primaries that are too open and unregulated, and of online voting. This is partly because, for the PD, it is not just about winning; it is also about how one wins and the percentage of the vote that matters. One PD leader cuts to the chase: “We don’t need to invent anything new; there are already precedents – including two-round systems – that have worked.” It is from there – for example, the two-round system that crowned Bersani (against Renzi) in 2012 – that they would like to start again. Then there is the issue of the membership fee, of who can vote and how. These are issues to be discussed with their ally-rival Conte, the former prime minister who throws a spanner in the works and often keeps everyone on their toes. It’s a different philosophy to the ‘stubbornly united’ stance that the Democratic Party secretary continues to reiterate on TV and to activists at her ‘Feste dell’Unità’ events, in the conviction that she will ultimately be proven right, both in the race for leadership and in the race for Palazzo Chigi. Mayor Clemente Mastella also hopes to have a say in the matter; yesterday he wrote a letter to “dear Secretary Schlein” to point out that some Democratic Party members, in the Benevento provincial elections, voted with the right-wing for Claudio Cataudo (who was defeated by Nino Lombardi, the candidate close to Mastella), and are therefore “stubbornly on the losing side because they are blindly and unreasonably anti-Mastella”. Thus, the “nearly 80,000 votes” for Noi di Centro in Campania could go elsewhere. These are, however, local squabbles; Schlein has other priorities. Yesterday, on La7, she reiterated that the programme will be drawn up in September, but “we are not starting from scratch”, and it must be “a participatory process”, open to civil society. For the Democrats, the strategy of committees and defending the Constitution still holds true. But of course, a consensus – or at least a policy framework – will also need to be found on foreign policy, defence and arms. The differences displayed by Schlein and Conte on Ukraine indicate that there is still a long way to go, and combined with the competition for the primaries, this could prove a dangerous mix for the broad coalition. We will understand more next week, during the final significant parliamentary session before the summer recess: following Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti’s statements, votes will be held on resolutions concerning the safeguard clause, as well as flexibility on energy and defence. The rally in Naples always springs to mind, as do Conte’s sudden moves forward or ‘the tactic of attrition’, as those close to the Democratic Party leader describe it. This is also why, behind the scenes, the idea of a third candidate – or a figurehead – had emerged as a way to circumvent the new electoral law, should it ever be implemented, as well as to address the leadership issue. It is a prospect that certainly does not sit well with Francesco Boccia, the Democratic Party’s Senate group leader, who is working to bridge the gap and smooth things over between the Five Star Movement and the Democratic Party through a sort of moral suasion. It is no coincidence that yesterday, in his home town of Bisceglie, he appeared alongside Conte at the launch of the former prime minister’s book. Speaking on the sidelines, he reiterated: “Neither guarantors nor unifiers: it is politics that has taken on the responsibility of mounting a fierce opposition to this right-wing government.” And what about the candidate for prime minister? “The coalition parties,” replies Boccia, “will decide the rules together. There will be primaries or, as is only right, the largest party will put forward its leader. Knowing full well that the final say always and only rests with the head of state.” A message to all concerned, from the M5S, but also from his own party.