The 5 Star Movement it is located where no one would have ever imagined it just a year ago. Ghosts move among the electoral rubble. Beppe Grillo he brutally “downloaded” President Giuseppe Conte during his show “I am another“, in Fiesole, with biting comments. «I met Giuseppe Conteit made me feel a little tender, Berlusconi got more votes when he was dead – he said, sarcastically – that he is alive». He then underlined his crucial role within the Movement, with a clear shout out to the never-beloved Conte: «Conte must understand that I am essential and I don’t know how it will end with him». Grillo, with his usual sharp irony, even complimented Giorgia Meloni for her sense of humor, while criticizing Conte’s academic seriousness.
Luigi Di Maio joined this assault. In the aftermath of the electoral defeat which brought the Movement below the 10 percent threshold, the former Foreign Minister, now EU representative in the Gulf area, harshly attacked Conte in an interview with La Stampa. Second Di Maio, Conte has “distorted the Movementwhich today is an even more closed and top-down party than in the past“. He recalled a more plural M5S with different “souls”, accusing Conte of having modeled the Movement in his image and likeness without internal opposition. «Despite the negative result, nothing will change within the Movement – he continued – As for Grillo, he has 300 thousand good reasons to remain silent».
Di Maio then criticized the weakness of the lists and candidates, making fun of the proposal of the dual mandate as a solution to the Movement’s crisis. He concluded by stating that the parties that brought down Draghi and the two center leaders, unable to reach an agreement, paid the highest price in this electoral round. As for his future, Di Maio said he wants to dedicate himself to his family and complete his mandate at the European institutions.
Meanwhile, the more orthodox members of the M5S increase their criticism of the alliance with the Democratic Party, worried about Conte’s management of the third mandate. The situation is further complicated by decision of the Supreme Court regarding Chiara Appendino, former mayor of Turin, who must face a new trial only to recalculate the sentence, while maintaining criminal responsibility for the crimes of manslaughter, disaster and injuries. Appendino, now a deputy, was seen as a possible alternative to Conte, especially in view of the European elections. However, the Supreme Court ruling seems to strengthen the position of Conte, who is trying to consolidate his leadership by proposing a more collegial management of the Movement with a directorate of big names.
Virginia Raggi emerges as Conte’s only possible opponent. The former mayor of Rome openly criticized the alliance strategy with the Democratic Party, arguing that the M5S must remain an alternative to the traditional political system. «The M5S must rediscover one of its characteristics: being an alternative to the traditional political system. Press ourselves into the positions of the right or the left – spelled Raggi – it distorts us and makes us unrecognizable». An opinion that clashes with that of Conte, who places the M5S in the “progressive” but reiterates that he does not want to be a “junior partner of the Democratic Party“.
Unquestionably, Conte’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic, characterized by late decisions and ambiguous communications, has alienated the electorate and raised numerous criticisms. This self-sabotage adds up to a contested leadership, shaky alliances and key figures like Appendino and Raggi who question the political line. The future of the 5 Star Movement appears increasingly uncertain. Internal attacks, electoral defeats and the lack of a clear direction indicate that the party may now be destined for unstoppable decline, unable to rediscover its identity and political relevance, thus betraying Beppe Grillo’s original ideals.
