Conte, message to the Democratic Party: “Voters mobilize with ethics, not with crowds”
The president of the Five Star Movement Giuseppe Conte monitors the meeting underway in Bari to identify a possible candidate for mayor shared in the centre-left and, in an interview with La Stampa on the change of phase guaranteed by the governor of Puglia Michele Emiliano, he says: “I will be satisfied to the extent that the pact for legality that we have prepared and made available to everyone, to prevent malfeasance and infiltration. The M5S is in a new phase, it does not stand by the window screaming ‘honesty’ and railing against the system: we rely on our skills to change the system, and attack all the encrustations of clientelistic power”.
And need: “The theme is: those who profess to be progressive can accept that there are territories in which bad politics is rampant, dominated by clientelistic managements and vote-catchers who change their coats at every election? Or do we want to mimic the indifference to these issues of the centre-right?” , since there is no mandate constraint, we cannot do anything if one of our elected officials allows himself to be enchanted by the sirens of others. Orlando thinks badly: it is his party that first supported Di Maio’s split and then welcomed him and others who left the M5S to the Politicians, fueling transformism. After that, he is certain that past experience has led us to be even more careful in selecting the ruling class. I consider the accusations of opportunism and profiteering that some commentators level at us to be petty. The point is that there is a large segment of voters who no longer go to vote: we can mobilize them only by showing rigor and sensitivity for legality and public ethics, not simply by making appeals for unity and calling for crowds.”
“We are the greatest builders of a strong and credible alternative to this centre-right government which is bringing Italy ever lower and impoverishing families and businesses. Otherwise – continues Conte – in Bari we would have limited ourselves to withdrawing our councilorsi, instead of preparing a pact which we hope will be the heart of a regeneration of politics not only in Puglia”.
On the work shared with the Democratic Party, he explains further: “Working together does not mean lowering the bar on principles and values that should also be shared in the Democratic Party – and again – Pressuring the Democratic Party on the choice made by Enrico Letta and confirmed by this secretariat to send weapons to Ukraine indefinitely cannot be reduced to electoral opportunism. It responds to a geopolitical vision: we believe that it is necessary not to fall back on the belligerent indications taken at the NATO summits. On this I demand a discussion with anyone who wants to work with us for an alternative government.”
When questioned about a possible moral issue in the Democratic Party, the leader of the 5 Star Movement says: “There is a moral question in the country and it has also been raised in the European Parliament. It spreads in the centre-right, where from North to South there are many cases of bad politics: just read the reasons for the dissolution of Anzio and Nettuno due to the mafia, or remember the arrest of a member of the Brothers of Italy in Palermo. All in the indifference of Giorgia Meloni who doesn’t say a word even in the face of the serious and detailed accusations made against Minister Santanché.”
And in the Democratic Party? “I cannot be asked to be co-responsible by forming a coalition with them in those territories where the cleanup has not yet been carried out“. Speaking of European elections, “our objective is to have a good number of MEPs to be decisive in choosing the next European summits. The day after the vote we will clarify our position: it is clear, however, that we will fight for a European social agenda. It is premature to talk about candidacies. Especially without even knowing the agenda yet.” The group she will join, she says, “will be a progressive group.”