The co-leader of Avs has not (yet) named a candidate for the primaries, and on Kyiv he says: “I was the first to say no to arms”

Rome. ‘One is not worth one,’ says Democratic Party secretary Elly Schlein, referring to Giuseppe Conte, but there are many ‘ones’ within the broad coalition. What does, for example, AVS co-leader Nicola Fratoianni have to say, whilst the electoral reform bill moves forward and the prospect of a ‘unifying third man’ is fading? Given that the primaries are now set to take place, it is also clear that there will be those conscripted into the primaries – those who would gladly have avoided them (see AVS). But, since they have to go ahead, who will AVS put forward as a candidate? “I’ve made a sort of decision,” says Fratoianni, “and I don’t intend to discuss leadership. It’s a debate that misses the point when it comes to the practical circumstances of Italians: wages that are too low, inflation that is too high”. (

Yet leadership is bound to be a topic of discussion, given that the PD secretary has sent word to Giuseppe Conte’s M5S and, more generally, to supporters of the so-called ‘third man’ that there are two options: either the lead candidate is the leader of the party with the most votes, or primary elections are inevitable. “We will put forward a candidate,” Fratoianni concludes. “But let’s start with a fact: AVS, which nobody was backing at the start, continues to grow, and is the third-largest force in the coalition.” All the more reason for a name to emerge. “We’re discussing it and will continue to discuss it.” But will the name be that of Nicola Fratoianni, or the other co-leader Angelo Bonelli, or yet another ‘third man’ (or ‘third woman’)? “I can’t say, and not because it’s a secret to be jealously guarded. It’s a decision to be made on the basis of a discussion we’re having and will continue to have should there actually be primaries. Then we’ll untangle the knot, perhaps in a third or fourth way, perhaps with a surprise.” Speculation is rife: could it be Francesca Albanese, despite her having denied it months ago? Or a partisan, or a symbolic 18-year-old, as the Democrat Roberto Speranza had hoped (albeit to avoid the primaries)? In the meantime, Fratoianni is focusing on AVS’s policy priorities, particularly those concerning the ‘redistribution of wealth’. We will return to that. First, however, we must tackle the sore point: foreign policy. To those thinking of the convergence between the M5S and AVS, Fratoianni says: “I was the first to vote against sending arms, and at the time I was the only one. And I think today we need a significant break with the way Italy and Europe are approaching support for Ukraine in the face of Vladimir Putin’s invasion.” Ukraine is still under attack. “This does not mean abandoning it, but supporting it does not mean prolonging the war indefinitely: this war will not end on the battlefield, but through a diplomatic agreement; everyone knows this, and it is on this front that a qualitative leap must be made.” Not everyone in the broader coalition agrees, although Elly Schlein has expressed optimism. “She was right. I think so too, because there is already a consensus that Ukraine is the victim of an aggression by Putin. There are no friends of Putin amongst us, and we all want to bring an end to a war that is wiping out a generation and destroying a country.” Some, however – take Conte, for example, who spoke on a broad coalition stage months ago – have said that a Russian threat is being fabricated to justify an arms race, and half the PD was taken aback. How can one remain optimistic? “Having to define this transition in concrete terms will be an essential part of our debate if we are to stand for office to govern the country. And when you want to build an alliance, you must work to refine the points of agreement rather than emphasise the differences.” Even on economic and fiscal matters, however, there are those within the broad coalition who recoil at the mention of a ‘wealth tax’. And Avs talks about it. “Of course, for us, the urgent need to place the redistribution of wealth at the centre of the debate is non-negotiable. That said, let us discuss the means to implement it.” Avs’s proposal will be as follows: “A measure targeting net assets exceeding 5 million euros. It will affect 0.1 per cent of Italian citizens – around fifty thousand people out of 60 million.” The criticism – and not just from the right – will be: you want to dip into citizens’ pockets. “But it is this government that has dipped into the middle class’s pockets.” In a sort of fiscal Robin Hood style, Fratonianni says: “We want to give back to Italians what has been taken from them.” AVS has tabled “a radical proposal that abolishes the IRPEF tax brackets”. How can differences on this issue within the coalition be smoothed over? “As has always been done: when faced with differing ideas, the solution can never be for one viewpoint or another to prevail, but rather a new viewpoint, hopefully better suited to addressing the country’s problems.” Let us return to taxes: “Our proposal will be similar to the German ‘continuous function’ system: an algorithm by which the income curve can be calculated and the progressive increase in tax rates determined. Enrico Berlinguer used to say: ‘Those who have nothing pay nothing, those who have little pay little, those who have a lot pay a lot’”. Is the broad coalition running behind schedule? “We are ready. And let this be clear to everyone involved: the policy-making phase cannot be reduced to a discussion amongst political forces, however necessary that may be. We risk failing to speak to the country. It must become a vehicle for participation.” Aren’t you afraid that someone might overturn the table? “Whoever did so would be swept away by the sentiment of a country calling for change.” (A word of warning for Conte?).