The political landscape is in turmoil following Schlein’s remarks. Conte: “Following her remarks, there is no alternative to the primaries.” Bonelli: “She is wrong.”

As anticipated, the remarks made by Elly Schlein during her speech at today’s PD Executive Committee meeting did not go down well with her allies in the broad coalition. And, after all, how can one blame them? “Whoever has one more vote leads: this is not hegemony but democracy. One person is not worth one,” she said, referring to the primaries. The first to comment was Angelo Bonelli, one of the two spokespeople for the Green and Left Alliance: “I think it was a mistake to make such a statement,” he said. Giuseppe Conte, president of the Five Star Movement, spoke in the same vein: “Schlein has officially confirmed that, as far as she is concerned, there are two paths: either she is the candidate for Prime Minister, or there will be primaries. I believe there are no alternatives; it will be the path of the primaries,” he said. The dissenting voice is Matteo Renzi: “Elly’s words are entirely agreeable from A to Z.”

“When drawing up a programme, the issue isn’t whether ‘one person is worth one’, but rather raising certain important issues regardless of consensus. For example: the 5 per cent on military spending – are we going to scrap it? It is incorrect to say, when drawing up the programme, that ‘one person is not worth one’; that is wrong. We must listen to the arguments,” said Bonelli, adding: “It seems to me that only the PD wants primaries; clearly, we have not managed to convince them regarding the possibility of a unifying figure or a third candidate. I respect their positions, but I believe that a little more effort would have been welcome and beneficial for the country.”

Giuseppe Conte’s response, however, did not come until the evening, just before the start of a presentation of his book Una nuova primavera a Frosinone. He explained to reporters: “For me, ‘one person, one vote’ means that what counts are the citizens, the vast majority of whom – 60 to 70 per cent – are saying ‘enough’ to this military escalation, to the sound of weapons. They are saying ‘enough’ to rearmament; they want the money to be spent on healthcare, schools, nurseries and education,” he explained, referring – though it is unclear exactly how – to rearmament and increased military spending. He continues: “To oust Meloni, we will have to work together in a truly united spirit,” and, returning to the subject of the primaries, he adds: “I believe at this stage that the path forward is very clear; there are no alternatives – it will be the path of the primaries, because we must always prioritise the path of democratic participation.”

At the opening of the Leopolda conference, however, it was Italia Viva leader Matteo Renzi who came to the defence of the PD secretary. “I believe Schlein said something natural and sensible,” he said. “Schlein said that the PD carries more weight than the others, and I think that’s right. I’d prefer it if those weren’t the right words, because that would mean that Italia Viva, with 3 per cent, could decide everything; instead, it’s right that Italia Viva should count for 3 per cent and the Five Star Movement for 10 per cent. Furthermore,” Renzi continued, “Elly’s words are accompanied by a gesture of generosity, as they are willing to hold primaries; so I must say that Schlein’s words are entirely agreeable from A to Z.”