Conte: “Italia Viva’s place in the broad coalition is a problem for Italy, not for the M5S”

“The presence of Italia Viva within the coalition is not our problem, but Italy’s.” This was stated by the leader of the Five Star Movement, Giuseppe Conte, in Bruno Vespa’s new book – Storia della Seconda Repubblica: Da Berlusconi a Meloni, da Prodi a Schlein – due to be published on 2 November. In the preview, the former Prime Minister discusses the broad-based alliance currently being formed (at this very moment, the four leaders are on a conference call to begin discussing the programme). And the sticking point remains the presence of Italia Viva within the broader centre-left. "If a section of the M5S electorate were to abstain from voting because of Renzi’s presence, we would never send Meloni packing," he says.

He adds: “Since it was the Democratic Party that wanted Renzi to be on our side, it is his secretary who must take responsibility for securing political guarantees that will protect us from the weakening of the alliance that Renzi may bring about, and prevent future instability.” There is also a passage on the primaries: “It seems clear to me that we will hold primaries and I’ll be taking part,” said Conte. However, he adds: “But it was only right to explore the possibility of an alternative method; it could have been the approach we’ve followed in all the regional elections where we’ve formed a coalition: discussing the most competitive candidate with all the political parties.”

Conte adds a word of warning: “The leaders of the two main opposition parties will, inevitably, tend to emphasise their differences rather than the factors that unite them.” This is because the PD and the Movement have “two profiles with different temperaments and sensibilities”, but are “united by the same objective of bringing about change in the country”. Therefore: "It will be up to our sense of responsibility to ensure that this is not a clash between adversaries, but a great moment of democracy and participation".