Since June, Schlein has been announcing the joint programme, which is always on the way but never arrives

The programme is almost ready; all that’s missing is ‘the final stretch’. This was the image chosen by Elly Schlein in Montepulciano on 25 October: ‘We’ll do it quickly, because we’re not starting from scratch’. All we need to do is review the announcements made over the last four months. A clarification: the PD has put forward proposals on wages and healthcare and voted on joint motions with its allies. What is still missing, as of 26 October, is the agreed programme for the entire coalition.

The background dates back to June. On the 18th, on the programme Tagadà, Schlein assured viewers: “We all know that we will be drawing up the programme with the entire alliance from September onwards.” On 9 July, in Naples, on stage with Conte, Fratoianni and Bonelli, she reiterated: “From September, we will be working on the alternative programme”, involving associations and intermediary bodies. On 22 July, pressed by Luca Telese on In Onda about the risk of reaching 2027 without having finalised the programme, she replied: “We’ll get on with drawing up the programme from September.” And on 23 July, in Il Foglio, the timeline became more ambitious: regarding the primaries, “we’ll decide with our allies in September, after the programme”. In September, therefore, the programme was a prerequisite for other decisions. On 22 August, speaking to Milano Finanza, she repeated: "In September we will discuss the entire programme with our allies, including the tax issue." And the refrain: "We’re not starting from scratch."

Then September finally arrives. On the 8th, at the AVS party, the Democratic Party leader explains that we must ‘first and foremost’ refine the joint programme, starting with the proposals on the minimum wage, equal leave entitlements and working hours: ‘The programme comes first, and then we’ll decide together’. On the 13th, in Reggio Emilia, she calls for ‘speeding up work on the programme’; on the 19th, in Foligno, she repeats: “The joint programme first”. On the 26th, from Ventotene, she proposes a participatory process. On the 30th, at the party secretariat, there is a discussion about who should sit at the table: not just the PD, M5S and AVS, but also the centrist parties. The start of the talks is postponed until the end of October.

October brings another round of announcements. On the 2nd, speaking to the editorial team, Schlein says: “We’re ready. We can get started straight away. We just need everyone to be on board, and we mustn’t set off on our own.” On the 4th, Francesco Boccia signals a fresh start: “We’ll begin work on the programme in October.” On the 5th, Stefano Bonaccini asks for it to be drafted “within a few weeks”. On the 8th, Conte proposes meeting immediately after the party assemblies. On the 10th, at the Il Manifesto festival, two timetables emerge: Schlein aims for the joint programme “by the end of the year”; Conte maintains that, with serious discussion, “the programme will be finalised in a couple of weeks”. Same goal, different timelines. On the 18th, at the PD assembly, Schlein announced that "we’re just a mile away now" and cited a joint 21-point resolution: not the full text. On the 20th, following a meeting with Fratoianni: “Let us get on with the work and the programme will be ready soon.” On the 23rd, in Montepulciano, Franceschini calls for agreement on around ten points by November; on the 25th, Igor Taruffi indicates that it will be finalised “by the end of the year”.

And just a few hours later comes yet another “we’ll get on with it” from Schlein. From the launch promised in September to the closures scheduled in two weeks’ time, in November or December, the timetable keeps changing. The differences amongst the allies, starting with Ukraine, make the need for negotiations understandable; the inclusion of the centrists adds further parties to the talks. But a negotiation is not a ready-made programme. After four months of “any day now,” this distinction has become the crux of the story.