A war of numbers
.
This is what promises to be in the Senate on Tuesday when Prime Minister
Conte
will face the challenge opened by
Matteo Renzi
in Parliament
and will try to make the government survive.
The Pd of
Nicola Zingaretti
says he is ready to support an enlargement of the majority, but asks to realize that change of pace invoked several times in recent weeks.
While Italy is alive, after having withdrawn the ministers and having opened the crisis, it leaves a window: "If Conte unties some knots, we are".
Any step back is impossible, but
Vito Crimi
says
: "With Renzi the situation is and remains invariable: we are done"
.
Reaching 161 at Palazzo Madama, that is to say the absolute majority, appears to be a chimera.
And if the former mayor of Florence sets the bar here, the reasoning of the government majority is different: it will be enough to collect the trust, even if it were to stop, as seems very likely, under this goal.
It is a day of negotiations and contacts with the
'builders'
, who are probed one by one.
And in the meantime, the second 'container' arrives that could house the leaders: after the opening of the PSI, the Movement for Italians Abroad, which has always voted in support of the executive, changes its name and becomes
"Maie-Italia 23 "
.
President Ricardo Merlo (who is also Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs) explained its mission: "We want to be a political space that has Giuseppe Conte as a reference point".
The new component immediately receives the adhesion of the former 5S Maurizio Buccarella, which increases the number of components to 5.
Still too few to create an independent group.
The corridors of Palazzo Madama are empty but contacts are frenetic, as are numerous denials of those who have been included in the group of new managers: Conzatti, Vono, Pacifico and Masini make it clear their unavailability for any kind of rescue.
Paola Binetti, UDC senator, too, but with a distinction: alone she would not leave the opposition to join the majority, but if her whole group took a step alongside the Conte executive she would follow.
The party officially denies that it is ready to change its position in Parliament, but discussions are ongoing, according to various parliamentary sources.
Especially since the Episcopal Conference of Bishops also broke ranks and decided to openly support the new builders: "Difficult months await us in which to rebuild our communities", said Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti, speaking of the political crisis.
On Monday the Prime Minister will face the Chamber of Deputies, where the numbers are on his side, while on Tuesday he will be in the Senate and here the majority has always run on the wire and now, without the 18 senators of Italy alive, it has dropped below 150.
The premier's speech will be aimed at relaunching government action, followed by a vote of confidence.
Italia Viva, which after having raised a wall lowers the tone and suggests that there is still room for dialogue, would be oriented towards abstention.
A choice that Renzi needs to keep his followers and prevent them from returning to the ranks of the Dems. But Renzi's could also be read as the signal of an opening, and that sooner or later could be caught.
Movements that are recorded and that arouse suspicion in the builders' patrol: "The larger majorities the better ... - observes Clemente Mastella - but no one thinks of recovering the dialogue with Iv behind the" responsible ". Renzi chickens ".
Numerical calculations and political calculations, which are clearly also done in the center-right.
Matteo Salvini
bets on the arrival of "many" M5S: "I see more arrivals than departures", he assures.