From the centre-right to the third pole, Molise exists and still leaves its mark – Corriere.it

Welcome to the newsletter Diario Politico which twice a week will offer you a point of view on political events. You can register here and write to: [email protected]

Despite the ironies about its small size (they call it «Molisn’t»), Molise has an electoral history of absolute importance. First assigned and then eluded by D’Alema in 2000, it was one of the regions that cost him Palazzo Chigi. Elections canceled twice by Tar and Council of State. In 2018 he even becomes the balance for the conquest of Palazzo Chigi: while Di Maio and Salvini are unable to agree on who will be prime minister of the “populist” government, the Cinquestelle leader is counting on a new snowball victory after the policies of a month earlier (it had gotten 44.8%); and instead the center-right wins, as well as in Friuli. Di Maio must give up Palazzo Chigi for Conte.

In short, there is some reason they call it the Ohio of Italy, the “swing state” that can decide the race for the White House. However small the test is, and however much less than half of those entitled to vote this time, Molise’s vote can therefore have a political significance. Also because, according to the center-right himself, the past regional council was so bad as to push President Toma to fold instead of seeking re-election. So the snowball victory is certainly not attributable to good local governance. Rather, it confirms that since the general elections of 2022, the consensus for parties has not substantially changed. And after eight months in government, this is excellent news for Meloni and allies. The other factor of the Molise vote of national political value lies in the fact that once again (the sixth out of six) the alliance between the Democratic Party and the Cinquestelle does not win in the regions. And if he doesn’t win in the regions and he doesn’t win in the municipalities, what’s the point, given that the next appointment, the European ones, is with the proportional system?

Claudio Velardi, D’Alema’s former spin doctor, somewhat crudely summarized Elly Schlein’s political dilemma on Twitter: «Campolargo. Campobasso. Cemetery”. The idea that by adding up the oppositions multiply their consensus is in fact proving to be wrong. Also because not even the protagonists believe it, who instead of holding rallies together in Campobasso they preferred to have an aperitif almost secretly. A lesson comes from Molise also for the Third Pole. Here he went with the center-right candidate, the mayor of Termoli appreciated by the centrists, and won. Instead of presenting himself as an alternative to the two poles, thus guaranteeing himself irrelevance, isn’t it better for him to ally each time with the best, and become relevant?

The Political Diary newsletter

If you want to stay updated on political news, subscribe to the newsletter “Political Diary”. It is dedicated to Corriere della Sera subscribers and arrives twice a week at 12. Just click here.