Politics
The video •
Onorato’s U-turn: he asks the PD, M5S and AVS to ‘lend’ him some MPs to get round the hurdle of the signatures
The founder of Progetto Civico has had a change of heart: two days ago, at the rally organised outside the Senate, he had said he was opposed to this idea: “” Today, however, it is he who is asking the parties across the political spectrum to provide him with MPs to form a parliamentary group. The aim: to collect fewer signatures in order to stand in the elections
Photo: Ansa
U-turn. Alessandro Onorato has finally been persuaded and today, 17 September, he has officially called for ‘political solidarity’ from the centre-left against the electoral law. In Milan, at the launch of the Lombardy branch of Progetto Civico Italia, the founder asked the Democratic Party, the Five Star Movement and the Alliance of the Greens and the Left to help him form a group of three MPs within the Mixed Group in the Chamber of Deputies to circumvent the new electoral law (approved by the Senate, it is due to be approved at third reading in the Chamber of Deputies) in order to gather fewer signatures to stand for election. Yet his view just two days ago was different. When asked by Il Foglio about this possibility outside the Senate – whilst protesting against the ‘anti-splinter group rule’ – he said: ‘We do not want to engage in tactical manoeuvres; if anyone comes to us, they must do so because they share our political project.’
However, following the Senate’s approval of the amendment raising the number of signatures required for parties outside Parliament, Onorato appears to have changed his mind: “Whilst we await the President of the Republic and the Constitutional Court to rule on these provisions, which are clearly at odds with the Constitution, I call on the centre-left coalition to send a concrete signal of political solidarity,” he says, before adding: “If the PD, M5S and AVS were to contribute generously towards the formation of a group of three MPs within the Mixed Group, we would be in a position to stand in the next elections.”
Amidst barricades and suspicions – the video
As we were saying, the issue is closely linked to one of the amendments to the electoral law approved by the Senate a few days ago, the one known as the ‘anti-splinter party’ amendment. Specifically, a stricter requirement has been imposed on political groups that do not have members in Parliament but wish to stand for election: the number of signatures to be collected has been raised to around 450,000, ranging from 1,500 to 6,000 per constituency. The situation is different for parties that are already represented in Parliament by their own parliamentary group, which are exempt from the signature collection requirement, whilst for those in the Mixed Group, the number of signatures required drops to 1,500 per constituency (around 100,000). “They’re forcing us to do as Vannacci did and find a few MPs,” Onorato had said at the rally. This now seems to have become a reality. It remains to be seen how the centre-left will respond.
Francesco Boccia, leader of the PD in the Senate, responding to a question from Il Foglio, had said that they would do “whatever is necessary” to help Progetto Civico Italia, in the spirit of a “stubbornly united PD”. Conte even took part in the sit-in, alongside Angelo Bonelli of AVS. Matteo Renzi, as always, is keeping his distance. It is well known that there is no love lost between him and the Roman councillor. The leader of Italia Viva stated a few days ago, regarding the anti-splinter group rule: “The signatures are a technical detail. It is legitimate that there are other parties who wish to participate and stand for election, but a certain number of signatures is required. I do not know if the number is excessive,” he said. “The truth is that the centre-left will only be credible when it organises demonstrations against the high cost of living or security issues.” There is less and less room for manoeuvre.
