Suspense up to the last second. Antonio Decaro melted the reserve for the candidacy for the presidency of Puglia shortly before going on stage with the secretary of the Democratic Party, Elly Schlein, at the regional feast of the Bisceglie Unit. An appointment scheduled at 8pm, slipped by almost an hour for the long times necessary to find the square. In the end Decaro showed up embraced Schlein and agreed to run. But the decision was troubled, suffered. «From today I have responsibility to guide a new political project for this region – he said – I could not turn back to my land and my people. Let’s go win this election campaign ». Next to him, Elly Schlein. «Thanks Antonio. United and compact we will win ».
The day was from Russian mountains. In the early afternoon the agreement between the forces on the field, especially with AVS, was done. But in the evening a new obstacle was added. Michele Emiliano returned to the game: the Governor, who in recent days had agreed to leave the game, broke into the negotiation again. Breaking the cards. The last few hours unfolded on the thread of the calls between Decaro, Schlein, the leaders of Avs, Angelo Bonelli and Nicola Fratoianni, and Emiliano. And various face to face with Schlein. The solution that had revealed itself in the mid -afternoon provided that Decaro accepted the race of the former president of Puglia, Nichi Vendola, of AVS, for the regional council.
With the impetus of Vendola, however, not to “clutter” the political space too much. How to achieve this was the center of the last kilometer debate. There is talk of post -vote resignation or perhaps in view of the 2027 policies, when Vendola could apply for Parliament. But nothing is certified. “I will collaborate loyally and passionately with Antonio Decaro,” said Vendola. At that point, however, he returned to the Emilian field: if Vendola runs – it was the warning – then I also run. Because the president of Puglia had decided to parade to satisfy the Diktat of Decaro, who did not want neither he nor Vendola in the regional council.
Decaro, who is MEP, arrived in Puglia from Brussels on the eve of the Bisceglie appointment. Thanks to an air delay, the secretary reached the Apulian location not too much before the start of the debate. In these days, on the field for her there has been the group leader in the Senate of the Democratic Party, Francesco Boccia. In the day Schlein and Decaro often felt by phone. The afternoon was a tsunamo of approaching news, cooling, then again impetus and braking. A shock also given it a declaration by the M5S deputy and regional coordinator Puglia Leonardo Donno, very close to Giuseppe Conte.
“At the point we arrived – he said – it is difficult to hypothesize a different candidate, for the M5S and for the whole coalition”. Words played like a warning. As if to say: the M5S lies in the alliance if the candidate is Decaro, otherwise everything must be put on. A sort of alarm clock, which was then reiterated directly by Conte: “Our community has remained silent so far, has declared itself constructively available to a solution, but now she asks that there is a clear solution”. Also because, the M5S has no intention of making the statuer, which awaits the decisions of others. In these days, the Apulian Conte has heard both Nicola Fratoianni, the secretary of the party of Vendola, the Italian left, one of the souls of AVS, have been heard several times.
A passage on the side of the M5S would have been half a catastrophe for Schlein, who has always been working to bring the united wide field to all seven regions to vote. Before the “Emiliano case” reported the agreement on the high seas, on the Bisceglie stage the group leaders had risen in the Senate of the coalition: Boccia for the Democratic Party, Peppe De Cristofaro for AVS, Raffella Paita Pr IV and Stefano Patuanelli for the M5S. “We managed to build a common front that presents itself in front of the voters in seven out of seven regions, with these parties united,” said Boccia.