“Renzi deals with the mafiosi” –

Christian Campigli

April 19, 2024

It looked like the (political) wedding of the year. The perfect synthesis of the need to overcome the dangers of barriers without anxiety and, on the other hand, to guarantee voters a serious and incisive center movement. But what seemed like love between Matteo Renzi and Carlo Calenda turned out to be a gig. And we know, great passions always leave polemical and acidic consequences. The two leaders, directly or through statements from leaders of their respective parties, have been beating each other up for months. The reasons are exquisitely political. The two leaders are well aware that, probably, only one will exceed the fateful 4%. Controversies, tensions and teasing which the creation of the “United States of Europe” list has further exacerbated. «I made the proposal to unite everyone under this list – underlined Emma Bonino – I didn’t put any vetoes, Calenda put his vetoes and is not part of it. I can’t help but take note of it. Those who vote for the United States of Europe list vote for those who propose that Mario Draghi have an important position in Europe. I think that Draghi should be the president of the European Council rather than the president of the Commission. I think that in terms of role and knowledge, the Presidency of the European Council is better than President of the Commission. But Paolo Gentiloni is also there: another indispensable energy for Europe.” A statement full of pride, to which the former Minister of Economic Development responded by abdicating diplomacy.

«Have you seen the program of the United States of Europe? I don’t, it’s not there. Ours is a political project, it is not a list of objectives. This is the substantial difference with the list of the United States of Europe. That type of list has the objective of arriving and then it will disperse and in my opinion it is not convincing and is not convincing. We have defined very precise obligations. Being pro-European and calling yourself pro-European are two different things. I doubt that a true pro-European is ready to deal with someone who has been convicted of mafia or to take money from a dictator or to put on the list people who have always declared themselves against sending weapons to Ukraine. We are the opposite. We will be obsessed with having quality candidates.” The man who starred in the drama “Cuore” back in 1984 removed some pebbles from his shoes in a long interview given to the newspaper Domani two days ago. «All political subjects have signed a decalogue, they will sign up to Renew, and after the vote they will open a constituent process for the Party of the Republic. From there there are those who will go to the socialist group and those who will go with the popular ones, like the candidates of Mastella and Cuffaro”. A political solitude, that of Calenda, which has amplified the hatred towards Renzi. Even in Florence, in one of the most important and uncertain administrative disputes, the two former friends took divergent paths. Azione will in fact support the candidate chosen by the Tuscan secretariat of the Democratic Party (and by the current mayor, Dario Nardella), the welfare councilor, Sara Funaro. Renzi, after having asked for coalition primaries several times, decided to run alone and support Stefania Saccardi.