Emilia Romagna on red alert. It’s a Renzi-Conte clash, Schlein fears a flop –

Tommaso Manni

04 October 2024

While the new rains in Emilia Romagna go off the red alert, black clouds gather above the head of the candidate for the Region of the former Largo Campo Michele De Pascale. The reason? The break in the centre-left coalition between Pd-IV on one side and Avs-M5S on the other. It was sanctioned by the Grillino leader who clearly said: “The wide field no longer exists” and in any case “it was a journalistic formula”. The problem has a name and surname: Matteo Renzi who Conte defines as “a time mine”.
And it’s not a question of likes or dislikes. “There is no awareness on the part of the Democratic Party that we are posing a serious political problem, we are talking about public ethics, not likes and dislikes” Conte clarified.

The point is that the leader of the Movement is not available to place his symbol alongside that of Renzi “who has always stood out for destroying, scrapping, taking money from foreign governments and being at the origin of the contamination between business and politics”. A position also shared by Angelo Bonelli, spokesperson for Green Europe, who explained how «the question posed by Conte on Renzi’s role is a question that has its own political legitimacy and that we as Avs also ask. An alliance is credible not only on programs but also with the people it brings forward. Keeping Renzi in a future national alliance is not a credible proposal and sees us in total disagreement.”

The reply from the leader of Italia viva was not long in coming. “I had some doubts about presenting our list in Emilia Romagna, Conte removed them from me,” he declared. Also because, unlike the 5 Star Movement, Italia viva has governed with Bonaccini in the Region for 10 years, with one councilor and three regional councillors. «We don’t have to join the majority, it’s the 5 stars who are in opposition and must join. Let them bring their votes if they have them. I want De Pascale to win, Conte wants Schlein to lose. We will have our symbol and we will choose our candidates ourselves.” In the midst of this diatribe there is Elly Schlein who knows very well that without unity the right cannot fight and for this reason she does not enter the debate but tries to act as a peacemaker from behind the scenes. It won’t be easy, in an Emilia region already tested by bad weather there is the risk that the wide field will also end up under water.