Former communist and son of the people: will Bonaccini scrap the currents and save the original Democratic Party?

Campogagliano, province of Modena, just under 9 thousand souls. «I was born right there in front, in this square. And it is here that I return in the evening, because it is where I live with my family», says the governor of Emilia Romagna Stefano Bonaccini launching the awaited candidacy for the secretariat of the Democratic Party in the circle in which he is registered together with his elderly parents, «simple militants ». Truck driver father, founder of one of the first road haulage cooperatives. Mother housewife and occasionally textile worker. Really popular origins, in short, nothing to do with the radical chic of the ZTL areas targeted by certain grillina propaganda. And it was precisely in Campodigliano that Bonaccini, born in 1967, had time in 1990 to stand as a candidate for the City Council on the lists of that Italian Communist Party which only a year later would turn into the Democratic Party of the Left.

The debut with the PCI, then with Bersani and finally with Renzi

A life as a median in politics, to quote the passage by Ligabue dear to Pier Luigi Bersani in the golden age, up to the great leap to the leadership of the Emilia Romagna Region. When the then secretary Bersani won the coalition primaries against the young Matteo Renzi, on December 2, 2012 (60.8 against 39.2), Bonaccini was “his” secretary of the regional Democratic Party and naturally sided with Largo of the Nazarene. Only a year later, after the non-victory and the disaster of the 101 that scuttled Romano Prodi’s race for the presidency of the Republic, the current governor was instead Renzi’s trump card for climbing to the top of the party: 71.5% in the primaries of the Democratic Party and victory albeit under 50% also among the members thanks to the mobilization of Bonaccini, who coordinated the regional and national campaign. Hence the candidacy for the presidency of the region in 2014, and then again in 2020.

A “life as a halfback” until the limelight of the 2020 regionals

Just the 2020 electoral campaign makes the median of politics a national star. It was the day after the 2019 European Championships which gave Matteo Salvini’s League 34% of the national votes, and for many observers the green wave was about to hit even the red Emilia. In the meantime, Bonaccini chooses to change his look: the bald bald a la Bruce Willis (the copyright belongs to Renzi) is now accompanied by a well-groomed hipster beard, light drop Raybans, more fitted jackets and young-style trousers with turn-ups. And then, above all, he grinds “millions of kilometers” fighting the battle of life with his bare hands and alone (the M5s, even in that moment in government with the Democratic Party in Conte 2, does not support him; and even the national leaders of the Democratic Party keep away from the front, with the “excuse” of the government). By winning it.

The party man who goes to the assault on the Democratic Party in the name of the territories

Of course, in the Democratic Party in Bersani’s time they were all or almost Berssani and in Renzi’s time they were all or almost Renziani. But it is striking that just such a party profile like that of Bonaccini, linked from time to time to different political leaders, now stands out as the possible “scrapper” of the currents. Yet that’s exactly how it is: with him there is only the current of the former Renzians of the reformist Base headed by Lorenzo Guerini and a prominent Catholic personality such as Graziano Delrio. With him, however, there are the so-called territories, ie a dense network of local administrators among which the governor of Tuscany Eugenio Giani and the mayors of Bergamo and Bari, Giorgio Gori and Antonio Decaro stand out. While the big names, from Franceschini to Nicola Zingaretti to the “Lettians” (the secretary Enrico Letta formally maintains a neutral position) up to the father of the Ulivo Romano Prodi, are positioning themselves on their rival Elly Schlein, a young representative of the left of the “movements” and of the Lgbt world not yet registered with the party (it will do so at the end of the “constituent” phase) and deputy of Bonaccini in the Region.

The challenge to the big names: a new management team is needed

So far no big names with Bonaccini, therefore. The reason is to be found (although not only) precisely in the intentions of replacement of the ruling class more than once expressed by the governor of Emilia Romagna. «I will ask for a particular hand from mayors, local administrators, the local management team, the many club secretaries… Also because it is quite clear to me that I will not have the support of many of the national management team. And this is the point: I believe that a new management team is needed, and we have it in the territory, in the regions, in the municipalities: a very widespread management class that can and must be valued more. We can no longer afford to select the ruling classes through the currents because in the long run it is not merit that is selected but loyalty – he said in his speech on the field in Campogalliano -. It made a certain impression on me, I say this with respect, to see all the leading leaders of our party candidates in the lists and never in the single-member constituencies, where you have to go and snatch the votes one by one to win».