The center-left’s ‘remuntada’ reopens the coalition construction site

The center-left hits the ‘remuntada’ in the regional elections. From 2-1 for the centre-right at the start of the round to 1-2 for the centre-left. After the defeat in Liguria, the progressive front confirms Emilia-Romagna and snatches Umbria from the center-right, restoring that red belt which had been broken precisely by the victory of Donatella Tesei in 2019. The outgoing governor remained a glue from Stefania Proietti mayor of Assisi, candidate with the centre-left, for a good part of the counting. Then, Proietti took off and the victory was achieved in the late afternoon. A ‘double’ that encourages leaders of the center-left to insist on building the coalition.

The victory, for Schlein, is “the sign of the unity of the coalition and of the Democratic Party”. The reference of the Dem leader to the Democratic Party is not accidental, just as the first ‘photograph’ of the evening which sees her alongside Stefano Bonaccini, a figure of reference for the reformist wing of the party, is not accidental. The large result of the Democratic Party, which in Emilia-Romagna broke through the 40 percent ceiling, in fact strengthens that pax interna called into question by the defeat in Liguria. A success that confirms it state of good health of the Democratic Party paradoxically highlighted precisely in the electoral round of the Ponente region, which saw the Dems establish themselves as the first party. Just as in Umbria, with the Democratic Party at 31.9 percent, almost 12 points above the Brothers of Italy, stuck at 19.58 (when the sections scrutinized were 500 out of 1,000). The good health of the Green and Left Alliance as well as the difficulties of the 5 Star Movement: at the European elections in June the consensus of the party led by Conte was 8.9 percent against the current 4.93 percent. This is the case in Emilia Romagna where the Five Star Movement stopped at 3.6 percent against the 7.2 percent of the European ones.

“Unity” was also the image that the center-left leaders attempted to convey in a concrete way with the square organized at the last minute a few hours after the electoral silence when Schlein, Conte and Fratoianni rallied around Proietti in defense of public health. Those who participated in the demonstration in front of the Santa Maria hospital sent a clear message to the opposition leaders: “Stay united, stop arguing”. A reference to what happened in Liguria, with the candidate Andrea Orlando defeated by the vetoes of Matteo Renzi and Italia Viva, even before Marco Bucci. It is no coincidence that Renzi underlines that “the united center-left wins. The divided center-left loses. Mathematics has always said it, politics confirms it today”. And from Italia VivaRaffaella Paita adds: “Will someone understand, sooner or later?”.

That “someone” sounds like a direct call to Giuseppe Contethe clearest in saying ‘no’ to the entry of Renzi and his candidates into the centre-left perimeter. However, reservations about Italia Viva were also raised, on the eve of the vote in Liguria, by Avs and Azione. The red-green alliance, in light of the victory in Umbria, now hopes that “when a coalition is configured as a common working space, as seen here in Umbria, when it works well the results can be seen”, as Elisabetta Piccolotti explains. Who adds: “Little Umbria has given a signal to the country.” And the senator of the Democratic Party, Walter Verini, comments: “Experiences like these help us to understand each other more and to work together in Parliament and in the country”. In short, the broad alliance model is replicable on a national scale. The journey is still long, as the second ‘photograph’ of the day seems to say, that of Perugia where Elly Schlein and Nicola Fratoianni rush to celebrate. However, Giuseppe Conte is not there. The president of the M5S called Proietti to congratulate him on the “amazing victory” and to explain that the ongoing M5S Constituent Assembly is “blocking him in Rome”. However, to those who ask him about the future of the progressive alliance, leaving Montecitorio, Conte confirms the line followed by the M5s to date: “Each territory and each election is a separate discussion. The centre-right can be defeated with a credible and concrete project “.