There is no agreement and the Five Star-PD government remains in the balance but, as the hours go by and without excluding twists and turns, the openings seem to widen an agreement in extremis. The next few hours will be decisive. Especially since the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, intends to rush the Pd and Cinque Stelle and demands concrete indications from them on the solution to the crisis in order to be able to organize tomorrow's consultations at the Quirinale in an orderly manner.
The Five Stars have placed as a precondition for the formation of a government with the Democratic Party the confirmation of the outgoing premier Giuseppe Conte, while the Democratic Party (more Zingaretti than Renzi) would also like to mark the "discontinuity" with respect to the previous government in people. But the secretary of the Democratic Party, Nicola Zingaretti, knows that everything is played out and he doesn't want to remain with the match in his hand, let alone appear as the leader who throws everything upside down a government agreement and who opens the doors wide to the elections and to Matteo Salvini as the future winner.
For this the initial No to Conte seems to have softened: not only because the international chancelleries, the Quirinale, the establishment and of course the Five Stars are pressing for the confirmation at Palazzo Chigi of the outgoing premier, but also because both Matteo Renzi and Romano Prodi, and even Massimo D'Alema and Maurizio Landini not to mention Dario Franceschini, have made Zingaretti understand that there is no need to hang himself in the No to the Conte bis. And in fact last night Zingaretti seemed softer and, while reiterating the No to Conte, he said: "Now there is no possible solution but we will do everything" to find it. Today the leader of the Pd senators, Andrea Marcucci, Renziano, confirmed that “There are no vetoes”.
If anything, the Yes to the Conte bis could strengthen Zingaretti both in the request to have important ministers in the new government and in marking a turning point in terms of programs, which means: abolition of the Salvini decrees on security, a budget maneuver geared towards development and the environment, green light for infrastructure, proportional electoral reform. As for government posts, Zingaretti could bring home the World (Gentiloni) or the interior (Minniti), the Economy or the Economic Development (where the candidacy of MEP Roberto Gualtieri rises, who could however become Eurocommissioner), the Justice (Orlando) and some minor ministries.
Naturally everything hangs by a thread and everything can still jump because the Five Star Movement appears in a conspicuous state of confusion, but for a few hours now, in the political buildings, there has been more optimism about the white smoke. This is also what the Head of State, Sergio Mattarella, is expecting, who is asking the political forces to put their cards on the table. Take or leave.