After the failure of the single party, the Third Pole could be shipwrecked. The announcement came directly from the leader of Azione Carlo Calenda who on “Today is another day” on Rai 1 declared: “In the European elections there will be two parties that will be separated because a project was blown up”. He except then add: «Will the groups stay together? Of course they were voted like this and it is right that they remain like this ». Together, but divided. A hybrid formula that on the one hand seeks to “save” the funding of the House and Senate to parliamentary groups while on the other it certifies a relationship that has reached the point of no return.
To confirm this in the early afternoon of yesterday, Italia Viva published a document on the 10 fake news told by Calenda. Beyond the words there are some issues that remain on the table. Let’s start with the groups. It is clear that to ensure political viability a party needs money and, apart from donations, the bulk of funding is guaranteed by Parliament. With a law that rewards the size of the group, the more numerous the more money is guaranteed.
If the Third Pole were to dissolve, the parliamentarians of Italia Viva and Action would have two paths: either to join the Misto group or to reform the groups. The Misto group does not seem to be a viable option both because funding would drastically decrease, just think that during the last legislature Action in Misto raised just over 140,000 euros, and for a question of visibility. Reforming the groups would seem the most natural choice, but to do it in the Chamber you need at least 20 deputies and at least 6 in Palazzo Madama. In the Senate Italia Viva has 5 and Azione 6, in Montecitorio there are 9 Renzians and 12 Calendians. So either the two leaders begin to ’embark’ deputies and senators from other alignments or the accounts risk not returning.
Then there are the Europeans on the horizon. Going separate is a risk for both given that the European Parliament will be elected with proportional representation with a threshold of 4%. Each electoral round is a different story, but there is no doubt that it is one thing to present oneself united in the Third Pole, it is another thing to present oneself as Action and Italia viva separated. The only certainty is that the European elections will take place in the spring of next year, a period of time that in politics is an eternity, but especially given how things are evolving these days, anything can happen.
Remaining from a future point of view, there is also the issue of bipolarity. The right and the left are two strong poles that are bringing the political scene back to bipolarity, in this perspective the center risks being crushed. So alliances are needed, but who do the two leaders look to? Renzi, this is nothing new, he looks at the center-right area that goes from Noi Moderati to Forza Italia.
Calenda seems to want to look more to the left in particular at +Europe in which, however, they do not seem to have great esteem for the former Minister of the Economy as clearly demonstrated by Emma Bonino’s tweet after the break in the Third Pole. “Should I say I’m surprised? Absolutely not. That’s how he is,” the former European Union commissioner chirped two days ago. Not only did Calenda also open up to Schlein after months in which he had categorically excluded any type of alliance with the Democratic Party. “With Schlein? Why not, never say never.” We’ll see how the situation evolves on this too. On the other hand, those who would like quick answers are the lenders of the Third Pole who have donated around 4 million euros. The question that circulates after the breakup is one and only one: what will happen to this money?