The Pd presidency becomes a puzzle: Prodi slips away and Schlein returns to Bonaccini

ROME. He promptly shakes his head, but over the years Romano Prodi has become accustomed to the role of secular pope of the centre-left and whenever a difficulty arises, the refrain starts: who is the Professor with? He punctually repeats that he is out of the game, but it is not true: he gives advice, and he is pleased to give it, to the leaders of the Democratic Party and not only to them. In the last few hours a whisper says: he will be the president of the Democratic Party, wanted by Elly Schlein. He has no problem saying how things stand: nothing turns out, no one has shown up.

It is almost fatal that the “Schlein laboratory”, in its first time, can be forced in one direction or another. The most logical solution, a presidency for Stefano Bonaccini, the one shadowed last Saturday in the meeting between the two, has remained hanging in the air, but the solution seems clearly the most probable and could be formalized in the next few hours in a new two-way meeting .

Of course, for Schlein, Prodi’s temptation can be understood. The new secretary knows that the Professor almost certainly didn’t vote for her. There is no evidence, but there is no shortage of clues: his former spokesperson, now senator of the Democratic Party, Sandra Zampa, had publicly said in recent weeks that she appreciated Stefano Bonaccini and the same judgment was given by Giulio Santagata, Prodi’s right-hand man at Palazzo Chigi. Prodi, who respects both Schlein and Bonaccini, did not make explanations of vote. But a few hours after the result of the primaries, he publicly recommended Schlein: in addition to asking her to be “cohesive”, Prodi outlined a path: “Be open to reformism, involve all minds, from trade unions to businesses”.

Among other things, in the very unlikely event that he becomes President of the Democratic Party, Prodi would have to make a gesture to which he is unaccustomed: join the party again. In doing so, as President with a few hours of membership card in his pocket, he would beat Schlein’s very original “record” which up until 11 weeks ago had not yet deemed it appropriate to join the Democratic Party.