The former minister told La Repubblica: “A two-way primary between Conte and Schlein, no later than January. The issue of the party unifier is settled.” The Nazareno faction was aiming for February, following the Constitutional Court’s ruling on the electoral law. Conte wanted to move quickly. Now he has an unexpected ally. And today, the Democratic Party’s “correntone” faction is meeting in Montepulciano

The ear, on the other hand, is the quietest of the senses, the only one that functions whilst remaining motionless, and which receives everything without having to do anything. For a nation that has always viewed decisions with the same suspicion one reserves for relatives who ask for loans, it is the ideal part of the body  

The PD leader has launched her candidacy and wants to set the tone for an ‘it’s me against her’ election campaign right from the start. And those at Palazzo Chigi do not seem at all opposed to this approach.

Speaking at the Democratic Party conference, the secretary sought to close ranks within the party and announced her bid for Palazzo Chigi: “Let’s debate, but then stand united. A section of the establishment does not want the progressive alliance in government; that is the history of this country.” The vote on the extension of her term of office was passed, but Guerini announced he would abstain: “The motion is not in line with the party constitution.”

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)