After the failure of the single party, the Third Pole could sink. The announcement came directly from the leader of Azione Carlo Calenda who in “Today is another day” on Rai 1 declared: “In the European elections there will be two parties that will be separated because a project has been blown up”. Except and then adds: “Are the groups going to stay together? Of course they were voted like this and it’s fair that they stay like this ». Together but divided. A hybrid formula that, on the one hand, seeks to “save” the funding of the Chamber and the Senate to the parliamentary benches and, on the other hand, attests to a relationship that has reached a point of no return.
To confirm this early yesterday afternoon, Italia Viva published a document on the 10 false news told by Calenda. In addition to words, there are some questions 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, most 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 dissolved, the parliamentarians of Italia Viva e Ação would have two paths: join the Misto group or reform the groups. The Misto group does not seem to be a viable option both because funding would drastically decrease, just think that in the last legislature Action in Misto raised just over 140,000 euros, and for the sake of visibility. Reforming the groups seems the most natural choice, but to do so in the Chamber requires at least 20 deputies and at least 6 in Palazzo Madama. In the Italia Viva Senate there are 5 and Azione 6, in Montecitorio there are 9 Renzians and 12 Calendenses So, either the two leaders start to ‘board’ deputies and senators from other alignments or the bills run the risk of not coming back.
Then there are the Europeans on the horizon. Separation is a risk for both, as the European Parliament will be elected with proportional representation with a 4% threshold. Each electoral round is a different story, but there is no doubt that it is one thing to present oneself as united in the Third Pole, it is another to present oneself as Action and Italia viva separately. 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 the evolution of things these days, anything can happen.
Staying from the future point of view, there is also the issue of bipolarity. The right and left are two strong poles that are bringing the political scene back to bipolarity, in this perspective the center runs the risk of 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 runs from Noi Moderati to Forza Italia.
Calenda seems to want to look further to the left, in particular +Europa where, however, they don’t seem to have great esteem for the former Minister of Economy, as Emma Bonino’s tweet after the break in the Third Pole demonstrates. “Should I say I’m surprised? Absolutely not. That’s how he is”, said the former European Union commissioner two days ago. Calenda not only opened up to Schlein after months in which he categorically excluded any kind of alliance with the Democratic Party. “With Schlein? Why not, never say never. and only one: what will happen to that money?
Source: IL Tempo
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
