Landini is backing Sachs, the economist favoured by Conte. The correspondence and the Naza camp

Alliances, both within and outside the broader political spectrum, and political positioning. Giuseppe Conte turns the spotlight on CGIL activists. And in the cinema, on the M5S-AVS axis, the Naza camp makes its appearance.

For the update of the CGIL’s Fundamental Programme, Maurizio Landini has chosen (among others) Jeffrey Sachs, the Columbia University economist, who regards NATO as one of the main parties responsible for the war in Ukraine and is convinced that ‘no more weapons are needed’ for Kyiv. In Italy, Sachs is also known for having gradually become one of Giuseppe Conte’s key intellectual advisors; he was among the international guests at Nova, the M5S’s policy conference. There have been several opportunities for discussion with the former prime minister: in June 2025 in Brussels, against rearmament and in favour of peace, for example. And in previous years as well. On Friday, Sachs – who has been asked by the trade union to give a keynote lecture on economics and finance – will be joining Landini at the Campidoglio in Rome. These insights will be useful to the secretary as he navigates the path leading from the CGIL’s policy conference (the union is currently celebrating its 120th anniversary in Milan, with Sergio Mattarella due to attend tomorrow) right through to the congress, which the trade union leader has said he intends to convene after the general election, partly to avoid controversy over his own candidacy. In the meantime, however, the votes of the members of the ‘red’ trade union are coveted by everyone, all the more so in the run-up to the primaries. After all, that solid bond between the PD and the CGIL has appeared less solid in recent years. There is room for manoeuvre. So next Saturday, the Conte–Sachs duo will be back in Sesto Fiorentino, at an event sponsored by the CGIL, this time to present the former prime minister’s book (who, in the meantime, must be wary of Beppe Grillo’s return to Rome, where he also visited the Chinese embassy). The initiative, dedicated to peace, will last a few days – Goffredo Bettini will be representing the PD, whilst other speakers include Nicola Fratoianni, Francesca Albanese, Elena Basile and Ginevra Bompiani – and will conclude on Sunday with a meeting entitled: ‘We will only vote for those who speak clearly on peace and rearmament’. This is further confirmation, if any were needed, of the ground on which Conte has decided to stake his electoral campaign and, even before that – whilst we still await the manifesto – his bid in the primaries. The former prime minister, after all, can forge ahead on this path, whilst his ally-rival Schlein has less room for manoeuvre (and not just on this issue), to the extent that the words that caused the biggest stir against the war were those of Virginia Libero.

And whilst Andrea Orlando reiterated yesterday that no one can issue diktats, Igor Taruffi responded indirectly to Conte himself, who a few days ago pressed the Democrats: “We’ve been ready with the programme since April”. The PD’s driving force then confirmed that the centrists will also be at the table, finally reiterating that the coalition leader will not be a unifying figure, but the leader of the largest party. Or there could be primaries: in this case, the candidate will be Schlein, “as stipulated in the party constitution”. There is no room for reformists, although the Democratic Party Assembly (which is due to be convened between late October and early November) would have the power to make an exception, paving the way for other candidates – as happened in the 2012 primaries – such as Giorgio Gori. As for the rules, Taruffi adds, “I don’t see any problems”. Among the options to be clarified are the two-round system – inevitable with multiple candidates – and the absence of online voting, as suggested by a section of the PD. “But we’ve never had any problems with our own voting; if anything, the issues arise at the polling stations,” is the response from Via Campo Marzio. This, too, should be discussed at the PD’s executive committee meeting. Meanwhile, the debate over the Anti-Semitism Bill – which has already divided the Democrats – continues to dominate the agenda. Lele Fiano is on the verge of leaving the party if the decision to oppose the bill is confirmed. Yesterday, Liliana Segre, whilst defending the measure, appealed to all parties, asking them to pass the bill unanimously “even with amendments” – albeit “non-essential” ones – “so long as a unified outcome is safeguarded”. Schlein, too, had asked the right to amend the bill, albeit from a far more critical standpoint than that of the life senator, whose words were ultimately taken on board only to a limited extent – that is, very little – by the two camps, which ended up accusing one another. The rift remains and is perhaps set to widen: yesterday, Bonelli, Conte and Fratoianni organised a screening of the documentary film Naza at the Cinema Adriano in Rome, a film which the right does not like (and indeed, as revealed by Il Foglio, they are organising a screening of the Israeli series Fauda in the Chamber of Deputies on 6 October). The leaders of AVS and the M5S also invited the PD and its secretary, who had been following the Regeni trial all day without confirming her attendance. However, in the evening, Schlein decided to attend the event organised by her allies, much to the dismay of some within the PD.