Reggio Emilia, September 12, 2026 – The primaries? They are the only way to choose the coalition leader, and those like Massimo D’Alema who call them ‘madness’ should say what the possible alternative is. This was said by the M5s leader Giuseppe Conte arriving this evening at the National Unity Festival, welcomed by the pentastellato people like a rockstar, complete with autograph requests… At the Festival he was awaited by the PD president Stefano Bonaccini, who arrived in the afternoon to meet volunteers who make the Festival possible and local Dem leaders.
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The day of Elly Schlein
Tomorrow is Elly Schlein’s day, for a high-intensity finale at 6:30 pm, when the PD secretary will take the stage at the Arena with Luigi Tosiani, the leader of the Young Dems Virginia Libero, Roberta Mori and the governor Michele de Pascale.
Applause for Bonaccini and Conte
But this evening the applause and the crowd were all for Bonaccini and Conte. “I would like to remind you – added the M5s leader – that in M5s there is no tradition of Primaries. We have honored a tradition of the PD, because there was no other solution: it is a tradition that belongs to the PD.” Conte excludes other possibilities: “Now what do we do, meet in some secret room, have some fireside chat after telling all the progressive people that they will decide. Then what do we do? Who do we lock up? How many people? Five, ten? Who?”. And, indeed, when he is pointed out that D’Alema called them “madness,” Conte replies: “Does D’Alema have a proposal?”.
Then he returns to the electoral law and explains: “I have great respect for the institutions and mostly for the President of the Republic, you will never see me pulling his jacket, but I have drawn his attention to this undemocratic and illiberal rule”. Reporters ask him: “Conte and Schlein is Trading Places?”, referring to Meloni’s joke on the paper. And he: “She was referring to her and Vannacci.”
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Crowd at Sala Guccini, Conte’s words
The large tensile structure of Sala Guccini was unbelievably packed, with thunderous applause for both before the start of the debate, with the M5s leader opening by asking the audience: “Shall we talk about politics?”, and to the yes, he replies: “Then let’s not talk about people: let’s talk about politics!”. And then on the Primaries: “For me it’s like a medicine I have to take three times a day. It seems that Conte is obsessed, but it’s the journalists who ask me… This is the time for the program: we must converge on a project to change this society. I care about the strength, the coherence of the program, and obviously the guarantee of stability. I left with 65% of the consensus, with the difference that we didn’t have the national TV and media.”
Bonaccini: “If we show that we are united, the Primaries will also have an important participation result”
Bonaccini echoes him: “In 2022 the disastrous left broke into three. We work in the next weeks for a program, then on the tools. People stop me to ask about healthcare, waiting lists, housing… I want a program signed with blood, because if we show that we are united, the Primaries will also have an important participation result.” Otherwise “we will lose the elections again. I have governed without the M5s. Then I worked in Reggio as in Modena, in Bologna as in Ravenna, because to be in coalition we need everyone’s contribution.” Conte then reassures: “We often work not in a top position in many administrations with extreme loyalty. No administration has fallen because M5s wanted one more seat.”
