The French-style broad field, immortalized in photos at the ANPI party in Bologna on Monday evening, launched with the PD secretary Elly Schlein the first common battle against the governing right: the collection of signatures for the referendum to repeal the differentiated autonomy branded Calderoli. With a first (armed) step: “The request for a referendum in the councils of the Regions in which we govern”, to write an unassailable text to submit to the Consulta. The response came quickly, as the Emilia-Romagna pragmatism requires, from the region led by Stefano Bonaccini, president of the PD, making itself the leader of the request. From here, the wave of the other Democratic regions of Campania, Tuscany, Puglia, plus the five-star Sardinia, started. A gauntlet to the government that is also a test of strength of the broad field that, perhaps, will come. The first positive effect for Schlein is the split in the government majority, with the clash between the FdI Minister for Civil Protection Nello Musumeci who is holding back the Northern League governor of Veneto Luca Zaia, who started off with the request to deal with the first nine matters for which the definition of the Essential Levels of Performance is not foreseen. But that’s not all. Even in Calabria, pressure has begun on the blue president Roberto Occhiuto to fall in line with the centre-left regions, as in Basilicata. The anti-autonomy battle, however, has kicked into high gear and between tomorrow and Friday the five red-yellow regions will examine the text for the referendum. The Northern League, furious, attacks: “The PD is against progress, efficiency and cutting waste, we are not surprised”, while the Democrats define Musumeci’s distinctions as “crocodile tears”, after having given the green light to the Northern League plan which “resembles a secession”, says the Democrat Alessandro Alfieri. Senator Pier Ferdinando Casini is more cautious and warns the Democrats: “Be careful that the referendum doesn’t become a boomerang…”. Emilia-Romagna, meanwhile, with the PD and M5S united, has set the committee to discuss the document today, to then arrive in the Chamber on Tuesday (Campania will start on Monday). A heart-stopping vote, given that Bonaccini is expected to resign between the 11th and 12th (to move to the EU Parliament) leaving the referendum on autonomy as the last act. A move that has made the Northern League group leader in the Region, Matteo Rancan, bristle, who promises “obstructionism against political exploitation”. The FdI senator Marco Lisei is targeting Bonaccini, accused with his advisors of having backtracked on differentiated autonomy, while the blue Valentina Castaldini criticizes “the coup to do a favor to Schlein”. Stop the right, Marcella Zappaterra, Pd group leader in the Region: “Our proposal was different, Calderoli’s is secession”.
