the powers of the leader, the anti-Ray note, “weakened” communication – Corriere.it

Controversy over the president’s powers, the “weakened” communication role, no more sanctions for those who leave the M5S, yes to a note that effectively blocks Virginia Raggi’s way for new candidates: this in summary is the code of ethics that the Five militants Stars are busy voting during these hours. The ratification of one of the milestones governing the internal rules of the Movement is creating debate, especially as regards the figure of the president. The accusation that some starred people make against Giuseppe Conte is that of having centralized too many powers in his hands with the new code. There are those who ironically speak of «M5S presidentialism».

The starred leader replies to the accusations explaining that these are mere technical modifications. Replacing one name with another, in a nutshell. «The apical body of political orientation and legal representation, initially, was the “Political Leader”. Subsequently, this body was changed to the “Directive Committee”. With the latest statutory amendment and, therefore, in the current statute, this body is identified with the figure of the President », says Conte. But between starred and ex the criticisms continue. There are those who point out: «The political orientation of the Movement falls on the president and no longer on the members. An elected official can be sanctioned on the basis of this policy». But a big name of the new course points out: “The code of ethics does not assign or remove powers: it is the statute that provides for it”. Meanwhile, references to the role of communicators also disappear, especially in relation to electoral campaigns. Previously, the starred were required “to manage each event of the electoral campaign according to the guidelines issued for the electoral campaign by the national communication managers”. Now that’s not the case anymore.

Another battleground is the role of MEPs. «The absolute obligations for MEPs to cut their salary or limit their privileges are removed. There are rules prohibiting party funding, not charity,” some complain. «The exclusion of MEPs from the obligation to contribute to the 5 Star Movement» corresponds «to a change already introduced in the current Statute (in the version approved in February 2021) and is imposed by the need to take into account the decision of Olaf (European Office for the fight against fraud) which, already in 2020, had noted the incompatibility with the rules governing the European Parliament of the obligations possibly assumed by MEPs concerning payments (even partial) of the indemnities due to them to the national parties to which they belong”, counters Conte .

It can be seen in the folds of the press release that the new code of ethics was approved «by a majority» of the members of the guarantee committee. It is easy to assume that Virginia Raggi was the one who opposed it. The former mayor of Rome is, in fact, against a change of course that would uproot the M5S from its original values. The text, moreover, contains a clarification which in fact precludes Raggi from any new candidacies: “For the purpose of calculating the elective mandates held, a single mandate as municipal or district or municipal councilor is not taken into consideration, at any time carried out” . Conte’s loyalists specify: “It is a clarification already implicit in the current rules, so much so that Raggi has not run for Politics”. But there are those who, certainly not in the mayor’s fold, point out: “Raggi counts on an elective mandate as mayor because she had the misfortune of being elected by the people, not Conte because he was chosen by Di Maio and Salvini. it is ridiculous to count elective mandates and not “executive” ones».

Meanwhile, references to Rousseau also disappear from the code of ethics and the fines of 10 thousand euros for those who abandon the Movement. «The provision that introduced a sanction against those elected expelled from the 5 Star Movement or in any case escaped. The corresponding provision was expunged from the current statute as a result of the specific findings formulated by the `Commission for guaranteeing the statutes and for the transparency and control of party accounts’. Consequently, steps have been taken to adapt the Code of Ethics to the new statutory provisions», Conte states, motivating the decision. the elected spokesmen fail to fulfill the commitments undertaken during the electoral campaign by abandoning the Movement to move on to other groups or political parties. We will have to reflect again on this question in order to arrive at effective solutions that are fully compatible with the constitutional principles and, more generally, with the current regulatory framework”.