The PD secretary and the M5S leader remain at odds over Kyiv, the timing of the primaries and the style of the manifesto (detailed or brief). Behind the promises to speed up the formation of the anti-Meloni alliance, mistrust and tensions are growing, making it difficult to reach a consensus.

The PD secretary, interviewed by editor-in-chief Claudio Cerasa, asserts: “Either the candidate is nominated by the party with the most votes, or there must be a primary. We don’t need a moderate candidate; they’ve been telling us that for 20 years, causing us to lose.” What would be the first measures of a hypothetical Schlein government? "The minimum wage and energy costs." And on Ukraine? "Defending it is the priority of a major left-wing force."

Opinion polls and the overtures between the Movement and the red-greens are fuelling the Democrats’ suspicions ahead of the party programme and the primaries. Meanwhile, the two rival leaders cross paths at the launch of the former Minister of Culture’s book (though they do not sit next to each other)

From Rutelli to Prodi, right through to Letta, the centre-left has often struggled to reconcile popular support, power and responsibility. In 2012, Bersani amended the PD’s constitution to open up the primaries to internal candidates as well. Turning them today into a contest between party secretaries would bring forward the proportional representation contest in the general election 

The leader of the Five Star Movement, speaking on the ‘one is worth one’ principle, brings up rearmament: “‘One is worth one’ means that what counts are the citizens who say ‘enough’ to this military escalation”. The green wing of AVS is the most critical: an incorrect statement, “listen to the arguments”. Renzi, speaking at the Leopolda, defends Schlein: “I agree with her from A to Z”

During the executive committee meeting, the secretary of the PD spoke about relations with allies but made no comment on the proposal for a two-round voting system or on the possible candidacy of the former mayor of Bergamo. Malpezzi: “A two-round system allows for a broader consensus.” Zampa: “This way, the party confines itself to a narrow scope.” The group abstained from voting on the report, which was approved unanimously.

The secretary responds to the “fanciful speculations” of recent days: “We’ll be ready as early as tomorrow. The programme is being drawn up with the whole coalition.” And she replies to Conte and his allies: “We are the leading party because we’ve earned it. Generous, yes; naive, no.” But she sidesteps the issue of Ukraine. The report was approved unanimously, but the reformists abstained.

Today’s meeting of the secretariat is to discuss the extension of the mandate and to put a stop to any other Democratic Party candidacies in the coalition primaries, starting with that of the former mayor of Bergamo. However, if Schlein stood as a candidate—in breach of the party constitution—while not a registered member, how can another candidacy now be banned when the party constitution actually permits it? For the secretary, the PD’s constitution is not like the Constitution: it can be changed as and when necessary.