Democratic Party (PD) leader
and ex-premier Matteo Renzi must change tack on wanting an early
congress and elections this year and allegedly turning the
centre-left group into his own personal party if he wants to
avert a PD split, one of his main rivals for the leadership,
Puglia Governor Michele Emiliano, said Thursday.
In an interview with La Repubblica daily, he said "even the
Renzians have understood that if he goes ahead with the plan to
turn the PD into 'Renzi's Party' it's in for a massive
clobbering."
Referring to defeats in local elections last summer and a
Constitutional reform referendum loss that spurred Renzi's
resignation in December, Emiliano said "he's lost all the
fights, no one is following him any more".
Emiliano said he and fellow PD leadership candidates Enrico
Rossi, the Tuscany governor, and Roberto Speranza, the former PD
House whip, would be at a Rome theatre Saturday to "unveil our
proposals", including allowing Paolo Gentiloni's government to
serve out its term until February 2018.
He said that "if Renzi agrees to them, fine, if not we'll
announce we're out at the assembly on Sunday".
The so-called 'trident' of Emiliano, Rossi and Speranza want
a congress this autumn, not as early as April as Renzi would
like.
The premier has also said he thinks elections can be held in
September.
Emiliano added: "Unless Renzi stops, the split is already a
fact.
"Everyone knows we're going to vote (next) February, only he
is pretending not to".
photo: Emiliano (L) with Rossi
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