Schlein would like Silva Salis as party leader. And what about the centrists?

As the electoral law takes shape, new scenarios emerge, whilst the centre-left prepares its appeals to the Constitutional Court: Silvia Salis, whom Democratic Party secretary Elly Schlein has asked to step in as a unifying figure for the centrist parties, has, as this newspaper reported yesterday, replaced what was a flat-out ‘no’ with a pure conditional: Salis ‘might’ decide to do so. While the mayor of Genoa denied this yesterday (“a unifier of the centre? I’m not aware of that”), observers wonder how the centrists themselves view the idea that Salis might, in theory, at the Democrats’ insistence, perhaps “merely consider it”, as those who know her say. The situation, as seen from the perspective of the fourth pillar of the coalition currently being formed, is a peculiar one.

Today, 10 October, marks the launch of the Più Uno party, an evolution of the movement of the same name founded by the former director of the Agenzia, Ernesto Maria Ruffini, who is now joined by Prefect Franco Gabrielli. Yesterday, Ruffini’s book “Cosa sarà, appello per un paese più uguale”, with a foreword by Romano Prodi (published by Donzelli), was released in bookshops, after which he proceeded to the La7 studios for an interview with Lilli Gruber on “Otto e mezzo”. Also yesterday, regarding the Salis rumour (who will instead be appearing on Fabio Fazio’s programme on Il Nove tomorrow evening), Ruffini’s headquarters issued a ‘no comment’ in response to a direct question. Meanwhile, from Più Europa, Secretary Riccardo Magi—fresh from a week-long hunger strike against the Melonellum bill—expressed his support: “Salis’s involvement,” he told Il Foglio, “would be a significant contribution, and his willingness to participate would be a politically important development. Of course, at that point it would also be important to meet up.” At that stage, the issue of Matteo Renzi – former prime minister and leader of Italia Viva, who has never been stingy with his praise for Salis – would also come to the fore. At the last Leopolda conference, Renzi called for “respect” for the mayor of Genoa’s refusal to stand for election. And yet: if she were to change her mind, would everything change? What is certain is that former minister Vincenzo Spadafora, founder of the Primavera Association, also spoke favourably of Salis over the summer, describing her as a “strong and credible” figure. However, there are those in the centre who fear being “swallowed up” by the leader of Italia Viva, should a federative process take place (in agreement with Schlein and perhaps with Salis on the scene). “The important thing is that there is equal dignity for all political identities,” says Magi. But how would Salis be perceived at the centre of the centre-left, in the event (a highly hypothetical scenario following yesterday’s “I am not aware of that”) of her actually stepping forward? Alessandro Onorato, leader of Progetto Civico Italia, when asked about this, preferred “not to comment”, as he was busy juggling his duties as a councillor in Rome and the news of Senator Luigi Nave of the M5S joining the Mixed Group. This is the move against the signature requirement (in the sense of collecting 6,000 signatures per constituency, one of the most criticised aspects of the new electoral law) in favour of the Avanti-Psi-Progetto Civico alliance. And what of Salis? Enzo Maraio, secretary of Avanti-Psi, says that the mayor of Genoa “is certainly a high-calibre figure, an authoritative personality who has demonstrated administrative and political ability. Like her, there are other figures who can contribute to building a strong and recognisable reformist bloc within the centre-left. The point, however, is not to start with names, but with the project. We socialists have been working for some time to build a broad, pluralistic and credible reformist bloc.”

And so, on the day that M5S leader Conte ‘lent’ a senator to Onorato and Maraio, those in the centre are keen to counterbalance any potential rise in influence on Schlein’s side (‘Salis’s commitment, with Renzi in favour’, says a centrist, ‘would be beneficial for the Democratic Party secretary, not least as a counterweight to Conte’). And so Senator Nave’s move to the Mixed Group is being hailed jointly by Onorato and Maraio as a “concrete response” from the former Five Star Movement prime minister. If, then, one ventures beyond the centre-left into the centre-centre – where Azione leader Carlo Calenda has long maintained that “these are matters concerning the broader political spectrum” – Libdem’s Luigi Marattin is unequivocal: “We wouldn’t be interested; we don’t choose our political position based on our liking for whoever stands to lead or unite it. We engage in politics on the basis of ideas.” Evening falls in Genoa, where another book is being launched – that of former Prime Minister Massimo D’Alema (“Eravamo comunisti”, published by Feltrinelli) – with Mayor Salis and Andrea Orlando in attendance. And D’Alema says: “Salis? I’ve viewed her favourably from the outset; she deserves extraordinary credit for having brought the centre-left back to power in this city.” If that isn’t an endorsement, what is it?