No symbol of the M5s in Parma. That is the first municipality conquered by the “grillini” in the now distant 2012, when the young Federico Pizzarotti defeated the center-left candidate Vincenzo Bernazzoli in the second round, taking over 60% of the votes. The pentastellated senator Gabriele Lanzi confirms a decision that had already been in the air for many weeks.
The parable of Parma as a metaphor for the M5s
A parable, that of Parma, which can be symbolically extended to the whole movement and which is worth briefly retracing. In February 2016, in his role as mayor, Pizzarotti is among the suspects for abuse of office in an investigation into the appointments to the Teatro Regio. The news was published in the press in May. On the 13th, for not having announced the opening of the investigation and for his refusal to send “Grillo staff” via email to the sender since he said anonymously, the leader’s blog announces the suspension of the mayor from the M5s with the possibility reply within 10 days. On 23 May the mayor, contesting the suspension, sends his counter-arguments and awaits a reply. On September 16, following the dismissal of the accusations against him, he asked to be reinstated within the Movement: receiving no response, on October 3, 2016 he announced his abandonment of the 5 Star Movement.
The convergence between Pizzarotti and the Democratic Party pushes the 5 Stars in pachina
The rest is history of today: Pizzarotti founded his own movement of humanist and ecological inspiration (Italy in common) and, becoming one of the most critical voices against the contradictions and anti-democratic drifts of his old party, in 2017 he won alone against everyone and is re-elected mayor of Parma with almost 58% in the ballot against the center-left candidate Paolo Scarpa. Having learned the lesson, the Democratic Party now decides to converge on the pizzarottiano Michele Guerra together with Italia Viva in view of the vote on 12 June. “In Parma we have been carrying out for months the project of a united progressive camp, which is becoming increasingly popular also at the national level, to reach the administrative offices with a broad coalition – is the accusation of Senator Gabriele Lanzi while he makes known the ‘absence of the list to the municipal – The picture that has instead been defined borders on the improbable: the Democratic Party does not present its own candidate for mayor but chooses one in the field of its opponents. And they call it wide field ».
The announcement of the M5s: “We will not show up in all the municipalities”
Lanzi is not limited only to the Parma case. Given the absence of the M5s in many of the 26 provincial capitals called to vote, there is a general “justification” that already tends to exonerate President Giuseppe Conte from the responsibilities of the foreseeable poor five-star performance: “Given the importance of the final transition phase and of the reorganization process led by Giuseppe Conte, the M5s will not appear at the administrative offices in all the municipalities of Italy “. And again: «We cannot exempt ourselves from a self-criticism that we obviously do internally, aimed at our non-participation in administrative offices, even in the overall framework that is certainly not edifying. But at the same time we are aware that the M5s, in the phase of a complex internal reorganization that has encountered many obstacles, today remains the political force that clearly stands out from all the others. We are committed to designing an effective territorial organizational structure. The M5s has grown and evolved … A ship that today sails in rough waters, but which keeps the tiller straight, aware that it has the best possible helmsman with it ».
Conte puts his hands forward: the new course is not consolidated
In short, ten years after the first victory with Pizzarotti and nine years after landing in Parliament with over 25% of the votes, we are still at the stage of creating an organizational structure, at the relaunch stage, at the construction stage: if at the next administrative the M5s will go wrong it will not be the fault of Conte, engaged in the definition of the new course. It is a pity that the new course, furthermore challenged by the Court of Naples with a ruling that still “freezes” the leadership of the former premier, has started almost a year ago (the voting of members on the new statute and on the Conte’s presidency).