Giuseppe Conte takes “full responsibility” for the M5S’s disappointing result in the European elections, which stopped at 9.9% compared to 17% in 2019. But for the moment, his leadership, he assures, is not in question.
“I take full responsibility for the result, for not having mobilized the citizens by convincing them of the importance of renewing their trust in us.” I’m sorry Giuseppe Conte after the disappointing 9.9% of 5 Star Movement in the European elections. But his leadership – he assures – is not in question.
“None of all those who spoke raised the issue of my leadership. But my leadership is functional to a project, so we will return to discuss this in the Constituent Assembly”, says the former prime minister interviewed by Fatto Quotidiano. For Conte, the Grillino conclave will be “an opportunity to reaffirm our identity, and define themes and medium and long term objectives”.
However, the leader says he is ready to take a step back if a request for resignation comes from the party. “The moment I was no longer useful to the project I would step aside, always ready to give my contribution to the M5S”. For Conte, however, the European defeat cannot be attributed to an error in the selection of the themes that made up the M5s agenda, mainly focused on peace. “Citizens are always right, but it makes no sense to say that we have gotten things wrong on issues that have deep roots in our principles and values, which cannot be derogated for us”, he says. “If anything, we made a mistake in declining and communicating them”, she adds.
According to Luigi Di Maio, it’s Conte’s fault if the M5S did badly in the European elections, because he distorted the party’s nature
In short, an unconvincing communication approach which did not reward the 5 Star Movement, already put in difficulty by the attempts to transform the electoral campaign into a duel between Giorgia Meloni and Elly Schlein. “Certainly the polarization desired by Meloni, in agreement with Schlein and with the complicity of the media, did not favor us”, admits Conte. “In the past it would have been easy to make up for it with the pioneering ability of the M5S to use social networks. Today we are all on social media.” Yet, despite the fact that the European vote confirmed – with a result above expectations – the Democratic Party as the main opposition force in our country, for the former prime minister the one with the Democratic Party remains “a confrontation between equals, respecting the our values and our peculiarities”.
Furthermore, the leader does not shy away from a veiled accusation against the Dems of having taken over issues that were once the flag of the Movement, such as the minimum salary. “Our battles have become fashionable even among those like the Democratic Party who opposed the citizen’s income and the Corruption Sweeper law and did not want the legal minimum wage”, he says. “But this is a good thing because our proposals have become a common battle theme for the progressive front”, he adds, reiterating, with a clear allusion to the Democratic secretary, that he does not regret “not having deceived the citizens by avoiding putting my name on the ballot paper even if it would have improved the 9.99% electoral consensus. Principles are principles”, he underlines.
Conte also takes the opportunity to respond to the former leader Luigi Di Maio, who in recent days had accused the lawyer of having taken away the soul of the Five Star Movement. “Perhaps the time has come to apologize to the voters of the Movement who were disappointed by our support for the Draghi government”, he says. “First of all, I apologize, even if it is known that my position was motivated only by the fact of defending the Movement’s reforms in a tragic moment, with people queuing for swabs”, he continues. “However, the electrocution of some of our ministers for that government, to the point of denying values and principles professed for years, had disastrous consequences for us, undermining our ability to defend the social agenda of the M5s. Hearing them still praise the agenda today Draghi, as if he were a sacred text, risks reopening a wound that we however want to heal”, he assures.
Finally, the former prime minister returns to what happened last week in the Chamber, where the Grillino deputy Leonardo Donno he was involved in a fight after waving the tricolor flag in front of Minister Calderoli during the discussion of the Autonomy reform. An action classified as “provocation” by Giorgia Meloni, which for Conte is unacceptable. “He actually justified the calculations and punches in the Chamber. He is very serious,” he says. “But it is also a sad epilogue for those who define themselves as patriots to consider the tricolor worn by Donno as an offense. On the other hand, Meloni is giving his green light to differentiated autonomy, a secession that betrays the South and splits the country, services and healthcare in the areas most in difficulty are condemned to death. This is why I invite everyone to join us in the square in Rome on Tuesday to say no to this wicked project of differentiated autonomy”, he concludes.
