Onorato’s other faction: “Renzi? An agreement is impossible. We are the real new force. We will support the broad coalition”

He states repeatedly: “You’ll see, we’ll be the real game-changer in the next election.” Alessandro Onorato is convinced of this. He is certain that his new political venture, Progetto civico Italia, will prove decisive. “There are loads of voters who won’t vote for Meloni, but who don’t identify with the current centre-left parties. We aim to win them over, to bring them back to the ballot box.” With a centrist proposal, or another kind? “I’d call it civic. Look, I’m from Ostia, not Beverly Hills. I’m a local councillor and I know the problems people face.” Who are waiting for answers. “These problems require radical solutions, both in terms of the timing and the substance of decisions. Forget moderation… We need practical action to build, reorganise and harmonise a different Italy. One that works and is fairer.” And that is why he is calling on the other leaders of the broad coalition to get a move on. No drama, “but let’s use September to finalise the programme and then hold the primaries straight away. We’ll be there.”

Onorato, who turns 46 on Wednesday, is currently the Rome City Councillor for Major Events, Sport, Tourism and Fashion. He has been at the Campidoglio for over 20 years: “That’s my personal record.” An entrepreneur, he began his political career at a young age, in various capacities. “I was a pupil representative at secondary school, and I was a Cub Scout and a Scout. I was very involved in Catholic associations.” That is how he met Walter Veltroni, and it was with the former mayor of Rome that his political journey began. This continued until last June, when he officially launched Progetto Civico Italia, the party of mayors and local councillors. “Today we’re already present in over 1,000 municipalities; in Rome alone, 118 civic committees have been set up. Meanwhile, we have 12,000 members across Italy. We also have twenty research centres, spread across all regions, which are drawing up a strategic plan to get Italy back on track: we’ll set out what we want to do, within what timeframe and with what resources.”

Among those who have decided to follow Onoraro’s lead, three regional councillors in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, led by Simona Liguori, stand out. In Sardinia, Regional Councillor Sebastian Cocco has joined the cause. In Naples, within the Manfredi administration, there is Councillor Carlo Puca. Furthermore – as Onorato reports on his social media channels – in Emilia-Romagna, Vincenzo Paldino (a regional councillor elected on De Pascale’s civic list) has joined the PCI, whilst in Lombardy we find Silvia Palestra. Returning to the south, in Basilicata, regional councillors include Roberto Ciffarelli, as well as the deputy mayor of Potenza, Federica D’Andrea. Meanwhile, in Abruzzo, there is councillor Roberto Menna and Camillo D’Angelo, president of the province of Teramo – who is also the mayor of Valle Castellana, known in the news for the local council’s discount on petrol.

Together with this network, the Rome city councillor – who is touring Italy to present his project – has already produced, he assures us, 128 draft bills. “I’ll tell you about one that’s particularly telling.” Please do. “People have been talking about free nurseries for 30 years. Do you know how much it would cost to draw up a proper plan to provide these facilities throughout Italy? Less than 500 million, which is a drop in the ocean for the state budget. Twenty days of fuel tax relief costs us 300 million. But the current political establishment prefers the path of handouts and bonuses to that of structural reforms. From September in Buccinasco, on the outskirts of Milan – whose mayor has joined Progetto Civico Italia – nurseries will be free, and we’ll achieve this through the municipality’s efforts alone. But it’s clear that this is something the government should be dealing with.” It will also be one of the proposals that PcI intends to bring to the famous roundtable for the broad coalition’s programme. “But we also want to address the issues facing young people and the brain drain. We are faced with a government that boasts of being the longest-serving, yet lives from one day to the next and chases after Vannacci. Italians, however, do not reward you for longevity; they do so for solutions.” Onorato and his fellow campaigners are convinced they have plenty of them. Although, as the councillor explains further in this conversation, there are other issues on which his network of local administrators intends to set itself apart. “We want to reclaim a range of issues that the centre-left has culpably ceded to the right. Starting with security and immigration, which can only be tackled in conjunction with Europe, by working towards stabilising Africa, and not through the sovereignist and nationalist delusions of Meloni, Salvini and Vannacci.” Alongside this, the PcI leader also emphasises the law-and-order aspect, which he considers equally important. “Irregular migrants who commit crimes must be sent back to their own countries, because they have squandered their chance. The centre-left must have the courage to say this. We cannot give the impression that anyone here can do as they please; it is unacceptable, whilst the vast majority of Italians are suffering and whilst there are those who are afraid to go out alone in the evening.” Control of the territory is therefore essential to Onorato’s reasoning. “Meloni talks a lot about security, but there is a shortfall of 33,000 officers between the police and the Carabinieri. We would also need at least 22,000 new recruits for local police forces across Italy. The centre-left must stand by the law enforcement agencies. They are not enemies; they are serious professionals – this isn’t Trump’s ICE.” Furthermore, according to Onorato, “we need to build more prisons, not only to ensure that sentences are served but also to guarantee adequate conditions of detention within which professional pathways for rehabilitation and recovery can be established”. An example? “The haute couture courses organised by Rome City Council at Rebibbia: those who attend them go on to find work, thereby reducing the recidivism rate”.

Onorato persists, emphasising once again that “security must be a priority”, and puts forward proposals. But it is clear that certain ideas, in order to be translated into concrete action, need to be situated within a broader political framework. And the ‘broad coalition’ – of which the PcI is a part – is still struggling to define clear boundaries for itself. Not to mention leadership. This weekend, the councillor, along with others, tried to make his contribution by bringing the ‘broad coalition’ together in Agrigento. With the exception of Elly Schlein (though the PD contingent was well represented), all the leaders of the ‘broad coalition’ were present, along with mayors Gaetano Manfredi and Roberto Gualtieri. He also received Giuseppe Conte’s endorsement: “With the PcI, we can expand our reach and win back abstaining voters.” There was talk of Sicily, where Ismaele La Vardera is emerging as a leading figure; he is the leader of the Controcorrente movement, which has joined Progetto Civico Italia. In this region, the movement boasts 88 municipal councillors and councillors, 9 mayors and 4 regional councillors. Onorato says: “La Vardera would be the best candidate for the island; he is a well-prepared and courageous young man who is mounting a highly effective opposition to Renato Schifani and the right-wing wing of FdI, which is characterised solely by scandals, arrests and investigations. Controcorrente is the leading party in Sicily and we are convinced that progressive forces can rally behind La Vardera.” But whilst at regional level the PcI is trying to position itself as the linchpin of the alliance, at national level the situation is more complicated. There is competition between Conte and Schlein, but also a certain degree of overcrowding in the centre. There is Riccardo Magi’s Più Europa and Enzo Maraio’s Socialists, with whom Onorato continues to engage in dialogue; there is Ernesto Maria Ruffini; and then there is Matteo Renzi’s Italia Viva. Wouldn’t it make sense for everyone to join forces? “We have worked to unite thousands of local councillors and representatives of civil society, and we have done so to reach out to the many people who today do not identify with the PD or the M5S, nor even with Italia Viva. These are people who would not vote for the centre-left: we are reaching out to this silent majority that is calling for a new ruling class.” He then adds: “Uniting this reformist camp into a single political entity is a very complex undertaking.” Onorato rattles off figures and percentages: PcI – he says – is currently estimated at 2.5 per cent, “but I am confident that much more substantial figures will soon emerge. The abstention rate, I would remind you, stands at 50 per cent today.” Moreover, the Roman councillor points to other polls in his favour: one by the Piepoli Institute that gives Onorato an approval rating of 32 per cent (behind Conte), and another published by Affari Italiani that puts it at over 12 per cent (in this case, he is still behind Conte, followed by Schlein). “The leadership we are proposing,” continues the PCI leader, “has already secured victory in 80 per cent of Italian municipalities governed by the centre-left. These are figures who can inspire a new wave of activism and act as its driving force.”

Onorato does not deny this, however; he is aware that unity – even amongst the centrist parties – is a widespread demand. “And in theory, I would agree.” But in reality? “We have realised that a joint path is impossible. Renzi carries his entirely political history with him, whilst the PcI is a new, grassroots, spontaneous movement, made up of local energy and many local councillors. They are two very different forces. Furthermore, I’m convinced that, separately, we’ll win more votes for the coalition, and that’s what should matter most to everyone.” The reasoning is as follows: “After all, some past grievances might discourage people from getting involved, whereas if we remain divided and run in parallel, each of us will maximise our support. And if we need to collect signatures to stand in the elections, we’ll do so. It doesn’t scare us.” The fear is that new grounds for controversy might arise. “But we mustn’t be afraid of this dynamic. Iv will do its bit, just as we will: together we’ll help the entire broad coalition.” Ismaele La Verdera, yesterday you were almost certain: will you be the PcI candidate at the polling polling? “It could be me or someone else; we don’t have an inflated ego as is often the case in the Chamber of Deputies or the Senate. We’ll choose – the councillor assures us – the most suitable candidate’. There had also been talk for a while about Silvia Salis. “She’s a friend, but we don’t want to pull anyone’s strings. She’s made it clear that she’ll stay in Genoa to serve as mayor, and that’s only right.”

Carlo Calenda is also said to be at the centre of it all. Some are still hoping he might change his mind. Does Onorato hope so too? “I say this with the utmost respect: he has legitimately chosen a third-way position. He has accompanied this with harsh criticism of our alliance. However, at a historic moment like this, there are no third ways. Either you’re with Trump or you’re against him. In Italy, the same applies to Meloni. I don’t know how much electoral success Azione’s approach might have; in any case, any so-called ‘third’ vote is nothing more than a disguised vote for the Prime Minister. The risk is becoming the right’s crutch.” Speaking of crutches and covert manoeuvres, it is often said that Goffredo Bettini’s long arm is behind PcI (partly to lend a hand to Conte). “He’s a leading figure in the PD who, in the past, inspired the Democrats’ finest hours,” retorts Onorato. “Bettini was the first to theorise that the left would never win on its own, that it lacked what I call the ‘civic’ component, and he deserves credit for that.”

Progetto Civico Italia, as Onorato explains, aims to bring a number of issues to the table for the broad coalition. From security to a culture of action. But there is still much work to be done on the programme; there is the major issue of foreign policy, which continues to be postponed whilst the elections gradually draw nearer. At this rate, there is a risk of running out of time. “We should use this month to sit round a table and draw up a programme; we’re not starting from scratch,” says the Ostia councillor. “And then, as soon as the electoral law issue has been resolved and the rules are clear, I think the primaries should be called as soon as possible. Conte and Schlein have a legitimate ambition to stand as prime ministerial candidates. A different kind of path should have been envisaged and built in good time. But now it seems to me to be the only viable route, not least because today’s uncertainty risks being exploited by the right as a lack of leadership. Whilst on the left there are extremely influential figures.” Onorato, however, warns of the risks of a ‘gazebo’ scenario. “These should not be party primaries, but a contest capable of truly involving all the forces at play. It will depend on how we frame this process. The point is that every voter must be able to choose not necessarily the leader of their own party but the one best suited to defeating the right.” It’s a close contest between Conte and Schlein – which horse would the PcI choose? Rumours and a few clues suggest it would back the former M5S prime minister. “We weren’t set up to take sides with one or the other; we’re here to lend a hand to the centre-left and to Italy – we don’t want to fuel further divisions. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have founded another party.” Meanwhile, all the leaders of the broad coalition have been invited to the Festa dell’Unità, but not Onorato. Is he disappointed? “Not at all; I was with Matteo Ricci in the Marche a few days ago. I have an excellent relationship with Schlein. I’ll be attending the AVS Festival in Rome and, in the meantime, I’m carrying on with my tour. No hard feelings.” And no controversy. Rather, what’s needed now, according to the Roman administrator, is “a gruelling battle against the electoral law the right wants to impose: a presidentialist, plebiscitary proposal that’s impervious to the will of the people. Party leaders will be the ones imposing the candidates, whilst pretending to talk about preferences’. Is he not convinced by the majority’s proposal? ‘Rather than preferences, it seems more like a psycho-aptitude test or a driving test, with fixed list-toppers and ticks for the other names. It’s embarrassing. And to think that Meloni claims she’s always wanted preferences.” Against all this, Onorato concludes, “we must mount the toughest opposition, not only in Parliament but also in society. We must reconnect with that love of the Constitution that emerged so clearly with the ‘No’ vote on the justice reform and set it in motion once more. This is the path for the centre-left.”

Ruggiero Montenegro