The Directory of the PD took place on October 6, the big loser of the elections of September 25 last. The secretary, Enrico Letta, clarified: “I will not stay at the top, I will pass the baton to a new generation”.
As we know, the dems won 19% of the vote, compared to 18.7% in the political elections 4 years ago. But in absolute terms of votes in the polls, the PD received 5 million, which is 800 thousand less than in 2018. That year, in fact, for the Chamber, the PD received 6,161,896 (18.76 %), last September 25 brought in 5,355,086. Since its birth (2007) and the first national elections (2008), where it won 33% of the vote and 12 million votes, the PD has gradually lost consensus . Always according to the government, except in the parenthesis of Conte I (2018-2019), the majority of which rested on the Movimento Cinque Stelle and the Lega.
Photo Ansa / Angelo Carconi
Now, voices are rising in the party of those calling for a reset and a refoundation, even dissolution, as demanded by the former Minister of Health, Rosy Bindi. We’ll discuss the PD, including “his symbol, which I love,” Letta told management. “My personal choice is that the symbol remain exactly as it is, because it tells of the service rendered to Italy,” he said in his report to local officials and administrators. “I thank everyone who asked me for a longer term commitment, but I would consider this a mistake for you and for the party. I started my political activism as a young man, I was a minister in 1998, and it is right that our party has a younger ruling class capable of challenging the government of Giorgia Meloni, a young woman”.
The PD and women
The few elected members of the PD point out “the failure of our representation. It is clear and obvious, and represents the sense of a party that has not taken the necessary leap forward,” Letta said. “It is not possible to go back on the need to have women parliamentary group leaders representing women”. “On the other side there will be the first female Prime Minister of the country and on this point we must be credible”.
In the center, the governor of Emilia-Romagna, Stefano Bonaccini, possible new secretary of the PD. Photo Ansa / Angelo Carconi
Congress and new secretary
“The creation of the PD was a success, it was and will be a positive story for the country”. “The voters gave us the mandate to be the second political force and to lead the opposition, to build an alternative from the opposition. We are the only ones to have built a political alternative to the right. The others organized elections essentially as an alternative to us”. Then, inevitably, arises the theme of the PD congress, which will substantially outline a new course, as well as indicate the new secretary.
“It’s not the X factor”
The PD congress must have “the right timing, it must not be an X factor on the best secretary to do in 40 days. But not even a congress that refers to the Greek Kalends,” Letta asserted. “I would like the new management team to be on the ground with the start of the new spring. We have to start in March with a meaningful choice.” “Only one political force won the elections, Brothers of Italy. Everyone else didn’t win them or lost them. One field won because it was united and the other, despite our efforts, was not united. This is the explanation of the elections. »
The leadership of the PD in Rome, October 6, 2022. Photo Ansa / Angelo Carconi
The PD and the Meloni government
“We must immediately be ready to build a strong and effective opposition, also knowing that when this government falls I will not be there, but we will have to ask for early elections” underlined the outgoing secretary of the PD. There will be “no public health government, I say this, I will also say this vis-à-vis any debate in Congress”. Now we must insist on “our ability to be alternative” with “constructive, non-consociational” opposition, asserted Letta. “Those who think there is an endless honeymoon with Meloni’s right have misunderstood the deterioration of the economic and social framework.” There is, according to the secretary of the PD, the need for “everything except a government with a deep political weakness. The no he receives (the unborn executive Meloni, editor’s note) is more topical than the crowd to enter government. And it is already clear and revealing of a situation in which a government which receives such an important no shows in itself its difficulty”.