The left is divided on the candidatures between Palazzo Chigi and Quirinale after the referendum, but Walter Veltroni’s call warns: the country is elsewhere and victory is far from certain
The left smells victory and, as usual, fights for seats. Someone who knows a lot about clashes between comrades spoke about it, because for a long time he competed with Massimo D’Alema for the leadership of the post-communist party. Walter Veltroni, first secretary of the Democratic Party when, almost twenty years ago, it was born from a cold merger between the DS and Margherita, wrote about it in the Corriere della Sera. Be careful about selling the bear’s skin before killing it, and be careful about exchanging success in the referendum for a mandate to govern for today’s opposition. According to the former mayor of Rome, the debate that arose after the vote on March 23 is extravagant and, above all, detached from reality. How, he asks, can we discuss primaries and who will represent the coalition in next year’s elections, when the world is going belly up and Italians find themselves having to deal with hospital waiting lists, domestic budget problems and the fear of losing their jobs? Who do you want to care, he urges, whether the choice of the future prime minister candidate of the left will be online, with a double shift, or will a foreign federation or pope be needed?
It’s hard to blame him. Yet, heartened by the centre-right’s defeat on the justice reform, the comrades can already be seen at Palazzo Chigi and also at the Quirinale, with inevitable maneuvers by those who believe they have the right qualifications to ascend to the throne of the government or of Colle. The ride is quite crowded. In pole position are Elly Schlein and Giuseppe Conte, both convinced that they have the statesmanly profile necessary to lead the country in a difficult moment. But behind them, other ambitious candidates are agitating. Among these Silvia Salis, mayor of Genoa for less than a year: Matteo Renzi convinced her that only she could beat Giorgia Meloni and she believes him. Therefore, although her transformation from Olympic athlete to politician is very recent, the former vice-president of CONI seems intent on playing her cards in the “new faces” category. Another newcomer appears alongside her, namely Enrico Maria Ruffini, former director of the Revenue Agency. Son of art, as heir of a very powerful Christian Democratic minister of the First Republic and nephew of a cardinal, the former tax agent is convinced that his fate is sealed and has already given life to a centrist formation that should rally all the moderates for the left. But behind them are other aspiring leaders, such as Beppe Sala, who next year will have to leave the seat of mayor of Milan at the end of his second term, and Franco Gabrielli, former police chief and former director of the secret services, whose career, after a dizzying rise, stalled as soon as the government period with Mario Draghi ended. Gaetano Manfredi, mayor of Naples and president of the Anci, who will conclude his first mandate this year, is also scanning the horizon of the coalition from afar.
It’s not over. If these are the ambitious competitors for the seat of Prime Minister, there are those who are aiming higher, namely at the Quirinale. Sergio Mattarella will have to leave Colle in 2029 (the Republican Constitution, already overturned as it does not provide for a second mandate, would have to be rewritten in a monarchic version in the event of a third round) and many dream of occupying the position. Set aside due to having reached the age limits – but also for various trips – Romano Prodi, Paolo Gentiloni remains on the field (remaining on the bench after having been EU commissioner, he feels he is a resource of the Republic both for Palazzo Chigi and for the Quirinale), Pier Luigi Bersani, Pier Ferdinando Casini, but also Dario Franceschini, director of every maneuver, including the sponsorship of Schlein at the helm of the Democratic Party, and Rosy Bindi.
Then, outside the perimeter of the Democratic Party, there is always Giuseppe Conte who, if he doesn’t succeed as a candidate for prime minister, could still recycle himself as an aspiring head of state. In short, the list of suitors is long and the division complicated. But the call remains from Veltroni who, deep down, dreams of a great return, right on the Hill: what’s the point of discussing seats when not only are you not sure of victory, but the issues dearest to Italians are not the candidacies?
I add another reflection: but if on the left we can already see comrades fighting for the seat, are we sure that in the event of triumph it would not end like the last times, i.e. with ambushes and government crises one after the other? My answer is yes: the feuds we witness today, we would see again later. Indeed, perhaps more in the future than now.
