Cacciari says Italy’s centre-left may need a third candidate to lead its coalition

Massimo Cacciari, a philosopher and former mayor of Venice, has criticised the debate over how Italy’s centre-left should choose a coalition leader.

He says the coalition should not assume that Democratic Party leader Elly Schlein will lead it just because her party is its largest.

Cacciari points to Giorgia Meloni, whose party grew from a small force to the largest on the right, as a leader whose position is established by her political record.

He says the centre-left could instead agree on a third candidate, as it did when Romano Prodi ran for prime minister without leading a party.

Cacciari also argues that writing a shared programme will not resolve deep differences between opposition parties, including over foreign policy.

He warns that primaries between Schlein and Five Star Movement leader Giuseppe Conte could deepen those divisions and discourage some voters.

He says primaries make sense only when the parties already agree on the main political issues.