Pd shaken, now all-in on Umbria. Pressure on the coalition node

The final test will be Umbria. The Democrats’ hopes of making the regional round a success, despite the defeat suffered in Liguria, hang on this region. Because, if it is true that the ‘treble’ was considered an ambitious objective, overturning the initial 2-1 in favor of the centre-right into a 1-2 for the centre-left is now the minimum objective (given that not even the most pessimistic among the dem comes to evoke the specter of defeat in Emilia-Romagna). The high ranks of the Democratic Party, although shaken by Marco Bucci’s victory, believe in the ‘remuntada’ and postpone any internal discussion on what happened and what needs to be done until after the double appointment in November.

A confidence fueled above all by the fact that the centre-left candidate, Stefania Proietti, enjoys the support of the entire opposition front, including Calenda and Renzi. And so Michele De Pascale in Emilia-Romagna. The issue of alliances remains, however, on the table.

And, indeed, it is considered the primary cause of Orlando’s defeat. Because it is a common belief among the dems that Orlando has no responsibility for the defeat suffered. This is said by the attestations of esteem received by the Dem candidate from many quarters, from the majority as well as from the minority of the party. But above all the numbers say it. There would have been, observe sources from the Orlando committee, a dragging effect on the candidate given that in Liguria the Democratic Party reaches 28.47% of the votes at regional level, to which is added approximately 7% of its civic lists, an area which collects over 35% of the votes, i.e. the support of a third of the voters.

To confirm this effect, the result of Spezia is cited, where the Democratic Party reaches 30% to which is added the 5.78% of the civics directly linked to the candidate, and Genoa city where the Democratic Party reaches 29.71% to which little is added more than 8% of Orlando citizens for an overall consensus of approximately 38%. “We are aware that we are not enough on our own, we also suffer the difficulties of others and we hope that this result will make all the alternative forces to the right reflect as it does us who have never spent a minute in controversies or competitions with the other oppositions because our opponent is this right that we want to beat”, says secretary Elly Schlein. A line subscribed to by the bulk of the party, although with different nuances. Stefano Bonaccini, for example, adds a note to the secretary’s words underlining the need to “act”, as well as “reflect”, for the construction of a centre-left coalition.

The centre-left candidate in Liguria, in fact, saw the coalition that supported him crippled by the ‘niet’ given by Giuseppe Conte to Renzi. After a long tug of war, also conditioned by the approaching deadline for the presentation of the lists, the Renzians called themselves out and Orlando had to renounce a list that included members of Renzi’s party, members of +Europa and others. A renunciation which, according to the electoral flows elaborated by the Cattaneo Institute, was fatal for the centre-left: the most important element in the institute’s analysis is the considerable portion of voters of the former third pole (Action, Italia Viva, +Europa) merged into the lists of the centre-right parties.

The elephant in the room, however, is the meager result obtained by the M5s, which stopped below 5 percent. The question that recurs in the PD parliamentary meetings is whether it is convenient to continue sacrificing the relationship with the moderate and liberal world in the name of the axis with the Five Stars. “A long series of defeats, although each with its own characteristics, raises questions about the worlds with which the Democratic Party wants to speak, about the reassurances and hopes to offer to classes, categories and people who listen to the right, vote or give up voting” , says Deborah Serracchiani, deputy and head of PD Justice.

Beppe Sala is even clearer: “The M5S, under 5%, confirms that we certainly cannot settle for a movement that is looking for an identity and a principle of survival”, underlines the mayor of Milan: “But what which is clearly lacking in the centre-left is the central force, the moderate, pragmatic, capable of reforms, pro-European, a new liberal component, which at the moment has an undefined representation”.

A “relevant political fact that requires reflection and a solution”, concludes Sala. Hence the need for a coalition table, as requested by the secretary of Più Europa, and beyond. “Without a control room it’s like making a Rubik’s cube”, observes Orlando and then adds: “Starting from the end of the summer, the non-optimal management of the rapprochement with Italia Viva has also created tensions in the Democratic Party”, a reference to the embrace between Renzi and Schlein which was not followed by work to build the centre-left front.

Even for Enzo Amendola, if “the progressive coalition in Italy is still a hypothesis, it is not just for the vetoes. It is not time to hide, we need a credible political project in Rome as in the territories”, explains the former minister. Another leading Democratic Party member puts it this way: it is not enough to say “let’s not waste a minute in controversies” or “we are stubbornly united”, as the Dem leader did: “We risk trivializing a topic which is political and which becomes increasingly heavier as time passes.”