Meloni vs Schlein, the TV duel pits Pd and M5s against each other. And it “neutralizes” the League

The hypothesis of a duel between Meloni and Schlein reignites tensions between the Pd and the M5s

The polarization is there, it was sought by Giorgia Meloni and Elly Schleinand was baptized with the green light coming from the prime minister: “I am happy to engage in a discussion with Schlein. I believe it is normal and right for the president of the Council of Ministers to confront the leader of the opposition before the electoral campaign for the elections European”.

It lies in that expression chosen by Meloni, “opposition leader“, the reason for the satisfaction and, in part, for the fears of the Democrats. Because by recognizing Schlein as leader not of the Democratic Party, but of the entire opposition, Meloni strikes where the tooth hurts: in relations between dem and Five Star. But according to Repubblica it is also a warning to Matteo Salvini's League.

“How will Conte take it?”

It is no coincidence that, a few hours after the Prime Minister's words, the question was bouncing around among the members of the Democratic Party: how will she take it? With you? The fear is that the Five Star Movement, in order not to be crushed by the two leaders during the campaign for the European elections, could raise their tone by attacking not only the prime minister, but the dem secretary herself. When probing M5s sources, none of this seems to emerge.

The line remains that of dialogue on the issues with all the oppositions in search of minimum common denominators on which to build unitary proposals. The point on the European elections, it is added, will be made when work resumes after the Christmas break, but some indication of the mood of the Movement's electoral campaign can already be seen in Conte's words. Yesterday, at the end of Meloni's conference, the M5s president harshly criticized the government's work in Europe on Stability Pact-ESM negotiationrecalling the 209 billion Pnrr that his government “brought to Italy” after a 5-day standoff in Brussels.

Conte: “Meloni cannot choose his opponents”

On this difference in “posture” they will continue to beat the Five Star Movement. Despite the reassurances, the Democrats did not miss the signals arriving from potential allies a few hours after Meloni's green light for the confrontation with Schlein. Giuseppe Conte attacks the Prime Minister by saying that “Meloni can make the strategies he wants and choose to deal with whoever he wants. He refused me, ordering the leaders of Fratelli d'Italia to 'niet' my presence at Atreju. What he cannot do is choose his opponents.”

Translated, the comparison can be made with Schlein, but the 5 Star Movement will not delegate opposition to anyone. In short, what is at stake is the work of the federation of the progressive camp which, for the Dems, the numbers assign to Schlein, but which the Five Star Movement does not recognise: “We are not letting ourselves be federated by anyone”, Conte said days ago follow the 'slap to Schlein: “If you want to federate, start with the currents of the Democratic Party.” A position blunted shortly afterwards, in a meeting between the dem and the head of the M5s in Transatlantic and in which the friendly relations between the two were reaffirmed.

A historic exponent of the Democratic Party such as Goffredo Bettini, who is always committed to paving the way for dialogue between the Democratic Party and the M5s, also warns the Democratic Party secretary against taking on the role of federation: “Invoking a federation seems premature to me and wrong,” he says Bettini for whom “every politicistic and personalistic forcing makes jealousy and multiplies suspicions”.

A risk that seems confirmed by the interview of an M5s manager like Stefano Patuanelli: “Meloni is entitled to deal with whoever she wants, with whoever she fears least”. In short, the prime minister would have chosen Schlein because he was less difficult than Conte. Anything but a caress from a manager who in the past has acted as a bridge between the Pd and the M5s several times.

Which venue and which format for the comparison?

Meanwhile, the organizational machine begins to move to agree on locations and rules of engagement. “No decision has been made yet”, says the director of Porta a Porta, Bruno Vespa, reached by telephone by AGI.

From Sky TG24, director Giuseppe de Bellis underlines that i television comparisons among the leaders they were often hosted by the all news TV, “the house of discussion”, as De Bellis explains.

In addition to the frame, there is also the need to define the rules of engagement. In the past, there have been two formats that have been most successful. That of the “open” confrontation, with back and forth between the duelists. And the American one, with closed answers to which one competitor responded first, then the other competitor. The first was chosen by Matteo Renzi and Matteo Salvini in the duel of October 2019 right in Bruno Vespa's studio.

The second is the format preferred by Sky, which has used it several times during election campaigns and in PD primaries, bringing together more than two candidates. As far as timing is concerned, the level playing field will start 60 days before the elections, so the debate will have to be held before that date. For this reason, yesterday, the Prime Minister gave the indication “before the election campaign“.

In 2022, in fact, the television confrontation between Enrico Letta and Giorgia Meloni on the occasion of the political elections, which Vespa was ready to host, was prevented by the rules on equal conditions and was only held in streaming on the Corriere della Sera website.

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