Onorato votes for Conte in the primaries. The Congress? Keeping a low profile

Work continues unabated in Reggio Emilia to accommodate party supporters ahead of Elly Schlein’s final rally, scheduled for Sunday 13 September. Fifty coaches are already on standby in the Emilian city to transport the supporters, but more are being prepared. The frenzy is such that local party leaders in Reggio Emilia are growing anxious because they do not know where to accommodate all the people expected to arrive. Should they be allowed to sleep in the city? But how? Should they be sent back on the coaches despite the late hour? And then they will need to eat, given that their arrival is scheduled for lunchtime. In short, Reggio Emilia is a hive of activity as it prepares the right-sized crowd for Secretary Elly Schlein, who has asked for a mass rally. A mass rally to pave the way for her entry into the fray of the primaries.

And speaking of primaries, rumour has it that the secretary of the Democratic Party would like there to be a two-way contest, between herself and Conte, who are, after all, the real contenders. But since these primaries have become a way for the parties to gauge their relative strength within the coalition, it is unlikely that Elly Schlein will succeed in this endeavour. Alessandro Onorato – so they say – would like to stand as a candidate. Matteo Renzi could also enter the fray. And Angelo Bonelli and Nicola Fratoianni, whilst maintaining that the primaries are a mistake, are already discussing which of the two should represent AVS in this contest. In short, it won’t be easy. And in the meantime, Giuseppe Conte has already secured – in the likely second round, given the number of candidates – the support of Onorato’s centrist faction – as can be inferred from the statements of Ismaele La Vardera, the former ‘Iena’ presenter and former aide to Cateno De Luca; in short, to put it briefly, a highly controversial figure in Sicily, who nevertheless commands a sizeable number of votes and who recently joined Alessandro Onorato’s ‘Progetto Civico’. La Vardera, who is aiming for the presidency of the Sicilian region, stated just two days ago that, should there be a primary, his vote would, of course, go to the young and up-and-coming councillor working for Rome’s mayor, Gualtieri; but he also added that, should it come to a run-off between Schlein and Conte, he would have no doubts: his full support would go to the leader of the Five Star Movement.

Meanwhile, the debate over the PD Congress – which, strictly speaking, should be held next year, i.e. the same year as the general election – appears to have died down. Schlein and her staff have played down the discussion, but it is highly unlikely that the Democratic Party will not convene a national assembly to grant the current secretary an extension, even though some of the leader’s staunchest supporters would like to skip this step altogether…