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Former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi officially presented his new party, Italia Viva , this weekend , a formation that was born thanks to the support of dozens of MPs and members of the PD determined to ally with the former Social Democratic leader in his new adventure policy after leaving the party with which he ruled Italy between 2014 and 2016.

Renzi celebrated the official baptism of his party at the 'Leopolda', the traditional political congress that he organizes every year near Florence , a historic left-wing fief and his hometown. Before a large number of supporters, who exceeded the most optimistic forecasts, Renzi assured his support for the current Government of Giuseppe Conte of whom he is one of the main drivers. Although he insisted that he has no intention of precipitating the fall of the Executive before the end of the legislature, he did not hide his ultimate goal: to absorb a large part of the votes of the PD , the Five Star Movement and Forza Italia.

"We do not want to disconnect this government, that should be clear," said the former prime minister during the closing of the congress on Sunday. "We want to offer a space to those who do not believe in sovereignty and disagree with the PD-M5E design," he insisted. " We want to give the country an alternative to this institutional bullying ," he said, referring to Matteo Salvini, whom he considers his main rival.

With around 4% in the intention to vote according to the latest polls, Matteo Renzi wants to turn Viva Italy into an alternative to the center-left voters with which to deal with 'Il Capitano', who in spite of bringing down the Executive to force early elections and take advantage of their rise in polls, remains the leader of the first party in the country with more than 30% of the consensus.

However, analysts believe that part of the potential Viva Italia electorate will probably come from the ranks of Forza Italia, the formation of Silvio Berlusconi who in a little over a year has gone from leading to being third party of the center-right coalition behind of the ultranationalists of Brothers of Italy. "To those who consider that there is room for a liberal and democratic area, I say come and give us a hand for the good of the country," said the former Florentine prime minister, leaving the door open for Forza Italia militants disappointed with the drift of the Salvini's party and leadership in the right wing .

The good of the country is, according to Matteo Renzi, to avoid at all costs that Matteo Salvini comes to power. The leader of Italia Viva was the main driver of the birth of the current Italian Government thanks to a marriage of convenience between the Democratic Party and the Five Star Movement , seemingly irreconcilable enemies who joined forces in late August to wreck Salvini's plans to get "full powers." However, shortly after the birth of the new Executive, Renzi left the PD to create his own party. A formation that is inspired by 'En Marche' by Emanuel Macron, as the Tuscan politician acknowledged .

"Who says it was necessary to vote for consistency, calls coherence what we call masochism," Renzi defended from the box, claiming his signature at the birth of the current cabinet. " Yes, I have changed my mind and I have done it on behalf of Italy, " he added, justifying his support for an alliance with the Five Stars, a hypothesis he had rejected until then facing his own co-religionists.

Renzi said that the priority of his party is to ensure the stability of the Italian Government to prevent Salvini from coming to power before 2023 and decide, together with his ultra-right allies, the substitute for Sergio Mattarella at the head of the State headquarters, which must be chosen a year earlier by Parliament.

"The role of the President of the Republic is key. If this legislature continues, the head of state until 2029 will be the result of political forces that believe in Europe, do not doubt the euro and do not fill places next to Casa Pound " , the Tuscan politician defended in reference to the massive demonstration that the previous day brought together in Rome Matteo Salvini, Silvio Berlusconi and Giorgia Meloni, representatives of the three parties that form the center-right coalition, and in which exponents of the neo-fascist party participated.

In the PD they doubt the intentions of Renzi and suspect that the former prime minister is just waiting for the right moment to bring down the Giuseppe Conte government . During the three days that the agreement has lasted, the leader of Italia Viva has criticized the budgets for next year prepared by the Executive, despite the approval of two ministers of the current cabinet who left the PD to join him. In the box there were also explicit references to his old house, which he defined as the "party of taxes", and the different internal currents that acted as "armed gangs." Criticisms that have upset his old classmates. " If the allies do not want to continue tempting this challenge, let them say it clearly, " said the vice-secretary of the PD, Andrea Orlando.

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  • Italy
  • Matteo Renzi
  • Matteo Salvini
  • Silvio Berlusconi
  • Sergio Mattarella

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