Nerves in the Italian Democratic Party (PD) are on edge. The Social Democrats have begun their process of refounding this Thursday after the disappointing results in the elections on September 25. Enrico Letta's party won 19% of the vote, and, not having been able to come to an agreement with the rest of the left-wing forces, the right-wing coalition led by Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy prevailed.
Letta, general secretary of the PD, summoned the leadership at a meeting at the headquarters in Rome, in which he confirmed his step back in the leadership of the formation and the announcement of an early congress to choose the course that the left should take in the coming times. The only thing that is clear at the moment, as he has ratified, is that in the event that the future Meloni government falls, they will not participate in a national unity executive again.
“We have lost and we take responsibility, I the first. But we have a future if some things happen, the first, that we be an opposition, institutional and determined, but an opposition”, said Letta at the closing of the meeting. “When this government falls, I will not be there, but we will have to ask for early elections, no public health government,” she had insisted before.
During the discussion several exponents have pointed out that the main mistake was not allying with the 5 Star Movement (M5E) to confront the right, as Goffredo Bettini has said. "If there is an anti-fascist emergency, monarchists and communists must come together, different things between them because the problem is to create a dam", he assured. After the M5E overthrew the government of Mario Draghi, the party decided that they could not justify an electoral alliance with them.
Now the PD must focus on electing a new secretary, which will not be something immediate, but the horizon is that the new team will be up and running next spring. Those who seem to have more possibilities right now are the president of Emilia-Romagna, Stefano Bonaccini, and his number two, Elly Schlein, who with her strong speech has become a feminist icon. Others who could apply for the position are the undersecretary, Peppe Provenzano, or the deputy Paola De Micheli, who has already applied.
