Connections continue to take shape in view of the regional elections which will see the parties compete from north to south from April to the fall. The next vote will take place in Basilicata, where the Democratic Party and the 5 Star have finally reached an agreement on Piero Marrese, with Italia Viva and Action which will instead support the center-right candidate. A choice also disavowed by Gianni Pittella, former PD MEP and in Action since 2022. The current mayor of Lauria criticized the approach of the party of his brother Marcello, who is an important Lucanian leader of Azione: “In truth, I thought that my thoughts were clear and that is because I do not recognize myself in the choice of Azione in Basilica”. But the marriage between the two main opposition parties has not been successful everywhere. Thus in Piedmont, after months of fruitless negotiations, the Democrats chose to present Turin municipal councilor Gianna Pentenero. A “headlong rush”, as Giuseppe Conte defines it, which constitutes a “turning point” and forces the 5 Star Movement to take note of it. “We have worked generously with the Democratic Party but we have had objective difficulties in converging on programmatic points,” declared the leader of the M5 on the negotiations for Piedmont, “we will proceed to nominate our own candidate. This does not mean that the Democratic Party will become an enemy, but rather a competitor. in Turin there is a council that is going in a significantly different direction compared to the outgoing council of our Chiara Appendino. Objectively, a divide has been created on this issue in the region.”
The clash with Calenda
Conte then turned to the leader of Action, after the back and forth in Basilicata which led to the breakup of the “enlarged” camp. “I say to Calenda: how can you think of entering into a coalition with progressive forces when you declare that you want to destroy the M5, kick it out, take it out of the political system? How can you do politics if you want to destroy?” declared the leader of the 5 Star Movement, “but don't you realize that it is your own way of doing politics that you have condemned? What do you really want? Increase abstentionism? We do not associate ourselves with this way of doing politics. » Calenda's response via social networks was not long in coming: “The policy that horrifies me is always the same Giuseppe: money thrown into superbonuses, proputinism, promises of subsidies gradually. But I applaud you for taming the Democratic Party by forcing it to veto it. Compliments.”