Silvio Berlusconi's departure from the race for the Quirinale is certainly a first fixed point and the end of an unsustainable misunderstanding, but the battle for the election of the new President of the Republic and, at the same time, for the stability of the Government in the he last year of the legislature remains an uphill battle. It would take two personalities of Mario Draghi's authority but, since it is also impossible for SuperMario to double, the choice between the Quirinale and Palazzo Chigi is difficult and certainly conditions the political moves of the next few days, starting with the first vote on Monday afternoon for the election of the new Head of State. The Democratic Party will play a fundamental role even if, unlike other times, it does not have the numbers to deal the cards on its own. It will take patience and reasonableness. But the game is certainly exciting. Here is what Senator Alessandro Alfieri thinks in this interview with FIRSTonline. leadership group of the Democratic Party.
Even after the withdrawal of Silvio Berlusconi's candidacy, the imminent elections for the President of the Republic seem to be dominated by the double unknown Draghi (candidable both for the Quirinale and for the stay at Palazzo Chigi) and also by the double challenge that awaits the country: that of identifying a Head of State who best represents Italy and not to waste the unique opportunity that lies ahead of the country by using the funds of the Next Generation Eu and approving the reforms that Europe is asking of us to open up a perspective of lasting growth and stable. In relation to all this, in your opinion, would it be preferable to elect Draghi as President of the Republic or to keep him firmly at the helm of the Government?
“The challenge of the PNRR represents not only an opportunity to get out of the pandemic and restart the country, but also and above all to design the Italy of the future by overcoming some historical delays. Furthermore, being the major beneficiaries of the Next Generation EU, it is clear that we are the special observer in Europe. We cannot waste this opportunity, gambling on the credibility capital increased under the leadership of Mario Draghi. To bring home the resources of the PNRR foreseen for 2022, a stable government in full function will be needed. Over 40 billion to which Italy will have access if it achieves 102 objectives, of which 66 are reforms. Draghi is a guarantee. Our country cannot lose him: in both roles he would do well. Precisely for this reason, in these days his figure must be protected and his name treated with care ”.
However the election of the President of the Republic ends, the need to open the Government dossier and to verify the perimeter of the majority, the composition of the Executive and, if Draghi ascends to the Quirinale, to identify a new premier seem inevitable: as you see this match?
"A step at a time. From the outset we have affirmed a principle: to work to find a high-profile candidate together with all the political forces that support the current government. As a result, he cannot be a divisive candidate, such as a party boss or coalition leader. Forcing a biased candidacy by scraping together votes in the vast sea of the mixed group would have the immediate consequence of sending the government into fever pitch. This rule obviously also applies to the Draghi hypothesis. The perimeter of the forces that indicate and vote for the new President and the one who must guarantee the continuity of government action are held”.
The secretary of the Democratic Party, Enrico Letta, has proposed that, together with the choice of the new Head of State, the political forces enter into a legislative pact that will allow the Government and Parliament to work without jolts until 2023 and to face the main challenges that the country is facing: what should the contents of the pact be?
“Shared strategy to get out of the pandemic emergency: to return to normal you need firmness on health protection measures; extraordinary measures to deal with the increase in the price of energy raw materials which is discharged on the bills of Italians; and the grounding of the PNRR, helping local authorities and territorial subjects to make good projects and to spend European money well; finally some targeted institutional reforms, starting with that of the electoral law”.
The reform of the electoral law is one of the main open questions of the last part of the legislature but it has never been understood whether the Democratic Party prefers a proportional or majority law: how things stand and what are the chances that there will actually be a return to a law proportional ?
“I note positively that in the last national direction the secretary Letta himself opened the way to modifying the electoral law immediately after the election of the President. Most of the national leaders of the PD are expressing themselves in favor of a proportional reform with a high threshold. In any case, everyone agrees that the current law is bad, above all because, thanks to the cut in parliamentarians, it compresses territorial representation especially in the smaller regions, as well as preventing voters from being able to choose their own representatives”.
Let's go back to the presidential elections, the numbers show that the centre-right, being the majority in Parliament, has every right to put forward a candidacy that can garner the support of even part or all of the centre-left: what are the names that the centre-right could put forward for get your votes too?
“Let's clarify one aspect: the center-right is not a majority in Parliament. Unless you want to consider Italia Viva an integral part of the center-right, which Renzi has categorically denied. The current deployments are equivalent. Reason why no one has a right of first refusal. The only possible way is the confrontation between the forces of the majority to find a "meeting" name, which knows how to unite. It serves the country, but it also serves to give stability to the government”.
