Between Kyiv and Defence, Gori’s doubts about Schlein and the broad coalition resurface. Renzi is waiting for him

 This is the crossroads for Giorgio Gori, the undecided one. Should he stay in the PD or leave? Picierno has already made this choice and is courting him. The sirens of Italia Viva continue to sound. Matteo Renzi – and this is no secret – would be delighted to recruit him and is, in the meantime, welcoming him to his ‘primaries of ideas’. Nor is it a secret that the former mayor of Bergamo would play a leading role in the former prime minister’s party. So much so that, some time ago, he was even considered as a possible Renzi frontman at the ‘Campo Largo’ campaign stalls. 

There was a time when the MEP seemed very close to leaving the PD, in open disagreement with certain positions taken by the Nazareno leadership. Kyiv is the red line, but defence, the economy – growth, before redistribution – and security remain fundamental issues for Gori, on which he would like to see the party take a stronger stance. In recent weeks, Schlein has sought to mend fences. For following the departures from the PD of Picierno, Gualmini and Madia, the blow would have been very severe, not only in terms of image but also because Gori acts as a link with some of the business community in the north.

When the Democratic Party’s MEPs organised a conference on competitiveness in Rome in June, Schlein (who closed the event) spent a long time talking to Gori, to sound out his intentions and to reassure him on certain issues. Their positions have grown closer, even more so following Schlein’s interview with this newspaper, in which she ‘firmly’ reiterated her support for Kyiv, including through military aid. A few days later, speaking to Qn, Gori described himself as ‘proudly’ a member of the Democratic Party when asked about his future. In short, a split from the PD seems a little less likely, but the goodwill shown towards the Nazareno, according to those who know him well, is not unconditional. Indeed, it is directly linked to the secretary’s next moves and the influence the reformists may wield. The latest twists and turns within the broad coalition, and the resolution on the NEC – which was all too much in Conti’s favour – have brought these concerns back to the surface, and the reformist has publicly highlighted them.

Meanwhile, Picierno, through his ‘Spazio pubblico’, continues to court him, whilst Renzi awaits him with open arms: ‘Let actions follow words,’ is Gori’s reasoning, ‘otherwise the prospect of leaving the PD could soon become a reality again.’