Giuseppe Conte, the president of the Five Star Movement, is avoiding discussing the clash with Beppe Grillo by focusing on the 22,000 contributions received for the Constituent Assembly. Despite the open war with the guarantor, Conte continues to defend the constituent process. The Movement is conducting an online comparison and members are being asked to vote on twelve out of twenty topics that will be discussed in the second phase of the assembly. Among the most important issues for the members is the organization of the movement, including the roles and functions of the president and the guarantor, as well as the duration of their mandates.
Conte had previously questioned his role following the European elections, and now the discussion within the Movement may also involve the figure of the guarantor, currently held by Grillo. This raises other issues such as changing the name and symbol, and potentially revising the limit of two mandates. Grillo has been resistant to these points for months, even issuing a warning to Conte that discussions cannot involve foundational values. There is speculation that Grillo may pursue legal action to discredit the Constituent Assembly.
Some believe that the guarantor is unwilling to give up the political battle, aiming to persuade members to choose between the original M5s and Conte’s “new” movement. This conflict may end up in a vote that could result in a referendum between Giuseppe Conte and Beppe Grillo, possibly leading to a split. Concerns are raised that legal actions could disrupt the assembly’s progress, which has been delayed by processing contributions from both members and non-members of the Movement. Over 2,000 interventions have been received from non-members, who are also being consulted.
Activists, voters, and sympathizers will need to choose the twelve topics to be discussed in the working groups, which will include 300 members and 30 non-members selected at random. These groups will develop concrete proposals for the final deliberative assembly. In addition to determining key roles, name, symbol, and term limits, other crucial issues include the position within the parliamentary spectrum, financing methods, the role of territorial groups, direct democracy, political training, and a programmatic document. Some of the twenty topics include health, education, ecological transition, peace, opposition to sending weapons to Ukraine, closing American bases in Italy, and the role of Italy and NATO.
The upcoming vote by members remains crucial as discussions continue within the Movement on various essential topics. These include the positioning within the parliamentary spectrum, methods of financing, role of territorial groups, renewal of direct democracy, creation of political training, and development of a programmatic document. The topics also cover crucial issues like health, education, peace, opposition to sending weapons to Ukraine, closure of American bases in Italy, and the role of Italy within NATO. The future of the Movement and the potential for a split remain uncertain until members make their decisions on the crucial issues confronting the Movement.
