The 2017 Democratic Party leadership election was an open primary election held on 30 April 2017.Pd, le primarie saranno il 30 aprileRenzi: congresso Pd e primarie. Rossi: pronto a restituire la tessera The three candidates were Matteo Renzi, former Prime Minister and party secretary until February 2017, Michele Emiliano, President of Apulia, and Andrea Orlando, the Minister of Justice.Pd, arrivata candidatura di Renzi: è corsa a tre con Emiliano e Andrea Orlando Renzi was elected by a landslide 70%,Primarie Pd, Renzi vince nettamente: "Al fianco del governo: nuovo inizio, niente rivincite" and appointed Maurizio Martina as his deputy secretary.Maurizio Martina: chi è il vice (di sinistra) scelto da Matteo Renzi
Electoral process Candidates were required to file their candidacies by 6 March 2017.
Local and provincial conventions then take place all around the country, where party members vote on the candidates for secretary. Under party rules, the candidates who receive the support of at least the 15% of voting party members in local conventions, or the three most voted candidates above 5% of the vote, qualify for the second round of the race and have the chance to present their platform at the national convention.
The candidates who will run in an open primary will be declared at the national convention, which will take place on 30 April. Voters will also elect the national assembly of the party and the regional secretaries and assemblies. If no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote, a run-off between the two candidates with the most votes will take place in the national assembly, scheduled within two weeks after the primary election.Pd: Renzi, congresso con regole del 2013
Background 2016 constitutional referendum
After constitutional reforms had passed both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate multiple times, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi announced that he would hold a constitutional referendum on 4 December 2016 to seek approval for the changes; whilst the reform was approved by a simple majority of the Parliament, it did not achieve the two thirds necessary to avoid a referendum, as per Article 138 of the Italian Constitution.
Voters were asked whether they approved of amending the Constitution to transform the Senate of the Republic into a "Senate of Regions", with 100 members made up of regional councillors and mayors of large cities, akin to Germany's Bundesrat. The reform would diminish the size of the Italian senate from 315 to 100, making all senators indirectly elected by regional councils and mayors. In addition, the reform makes it impossible for the senate to veto legislation most legislation, instead only having a delay power except for a select number of subjects.
Following early results which indicated that the "No" side was clearly ahead, Renzi conceded defeat and resigned.
Internal developments After the referendum senior members of the PD such as Enrico Rossi, President of Tuscany region, and Roberto Speranza, former Democratic leader in the Chamber of Deputies and head of the Reformist Area faction, announced their intentions to run as party secretary.Pd: Rossi scende in campo: 'Mi candido alla segreteria'Pd: Speranza, mi candido segretario in alternativa a Renzi After a few weeks the Governor of Apulia region, Michele Emiliano, also announced his candidacy to stand for the leadership of the party.
On 28 January 2017, the former Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema launched a new political movement Consenso ("Consensus"), in strong opposition to Renzi's policies;Pd, D’Alema lancia movimento: ‘Raccolta fondi per essere pronti a ogni evenienza. Senza un congresso, al voto liberi tutti’ D'Alema call for a party congress and threatened to split from the party if Renzi didn't announce it.
In February Renzi announced that he planned to resign as secretary, convene the congress and run in the primary election in spring.Renzi al vertice del Pd: 'Con il congresso salta voto di giugno' However the left-wing minority called for the congress in autumn, giving lesser-known candidates the opportunity to organize their campaigns; Emiliano, Rossi and Speranza, but also many important PD members like former secretaries Pier Luigi Bersani and Guglielmo Epifani, announced that they will leave the party if Renzi would convene the congress in spring.Assemblea Pd, il trio Emiliano-Speranza-Rossi addossa la scissione a Renzi
During the National Assembly on 19 February, Renzi resigned as Secretary of the party, announcing his candidacy for the next leadership election. On the same day Rossi, Speranza and other members of the minority like Bersani, D'Alema and 40 parliamentarians declared that they will exit from the PD after Renzi's decisions and established Article One.Bersani-D'Alema, pronti i gruppi. A marzo nuovo soggettoEcco il nome degli ex Pd: Articolo 1 Movimento dei democratici e progressisti
On 21 February, Emiliano stated that he will not exit from the party and will face Renzi in the leadership election.Pd, Emiliano si candida. Renzi: «Politica litiga su tutto, io penso al futuro» On 23 February the Minister of Justice Andrea Orlando, supported by prominent left-wing Democrats like Cesare Damiano and Gianni Cuperlo, announced his candidacy as party leader.Pd, Orlando si candida alla segreteria: "No alla politica della prepotenza"Pd, svolta Damiano-Cuperlo-Orlando: “Pronti a candidatura alternativa”. Ma i bersaniani: “Noi non saremo in direzione” On the same day Carlotta Salerno, the Turin city secretary of the Moderates, stated that she would run as PD secretary, even if she is not a party member, but this was forbidden by the statute.Carlotta Salerno si candida alla segretaria del PdTorino, la candidatura femminile dei Moderati alla segretaria nazionale del Pd scuote i dem
On 24 February the Democratic National Committee indicated April 30 as the date of the primary election.Pd, la direzione approva: primarie il 30 aprile. Fassino: "Chiuso dibattito su elezioni politiche a giugno"
Candidates Matteo Renzi is considered by many a centrist and liberal politician; even if he often described himself as a progressive, the nature of his progressivism is a matter of debate and has been linked both to liberalism and populism. Renzi is supported by the majority of the party's factions like his own one, Renziani, the AreaDem of Dario Franceschini,Primarie Pd. Dopo Finocchiaro, chi scende dal carro di Renzi: malumori tra i franceschiniani e non solo The Populars of Giuseppe Fioroni,"Io con Orlando? La fantasia non manca" a majority of Left is Change, led by his deputy secretary candidate Maurizio Martina,Mezzo governo con Matteo Renzi al Lingotto di Torino nel weekend: da Gentiloni a Padoan, Lotti e BoschiCosì Gentiloni ribalta l'ottica renziana a minority of Remake Italy, of PD's president and acting secretary Matteo Orfini,La mappa delle alleanze: Martina con Renzi, Damiano con Orlando and Liberal PD of Enzo Bianco.Primarie Pd, prodiani per Orlando VS ex lettiani per Renzi
Michele Emiliano is an outspoken former magistrate with strong support in the poor South, who was expected to join the dissidents in DP movement but decided instead to challenge Renzi from within the mainstream party.‘Soft revolution’ threatens Matteo Renzi’s Italian comeback He is often described as a democratic socialist and populist politician.Andrea Orlando: "Michele Emiliano scorretto e populista" He came from the left wing of the party and he is supported by several Democratic members from Southern Italy, especially Apulia (of which Emiliano is President), but also by former Lettiani, the political faction of the former prime minister Enrico Letta, who Renzi forced to resign.Pd, Boccia incorona Emiliano: «È un leader, ora si fissi il congresso»
Andrea Orlando is a social democratic politician and a leading member of the party since the foundation.Segreteria Pd, il ministro Orlando apre la sua campagna a Genova Orlando is often described as the candidate of the social democratic establishment of the party;Congresso Pd, Andrea Orlando annuncia la candidatura da "figlio del Partito" he is supported by a majority of Remake Italy, of which he is the leader, by a minority of Left is Change, whose main members are Cesare Damiano and Anna Finocchiaro, by LeftDem of Gianni Cuperlo,Pd, Orlando: "Sono qui per ricostruire". E Cuperlo: "Noi con lui" and by several former leading Veltroniani, Lettiani, Bindiani and Olivists.Pd, già 10mila le firme per Orlando. Con lui veltroniani, lettiani e ulivisti
Summary Portrait NameMost recent position Campaign logo Refs Matteo Renzi Pd: Renzi non va a direzione, partita chiusa, primarie aprileIl Pd nella bufera. Renzi si dimette da segretario: congresso anticipato e scissione Andrea Orlando Renzi, mossa anti traditori con lo sbarramento al 5%. E Orlando ora si candida Michele Emiliano Emiliano resta nel Pd. Renzi in partenza per gli Usa: "Addii dolorosi, ma andiamo avanti"Michele Emiliano resta nel Pd, va in direzione. Sfiderà Renzi al congresso
Electoral campaign
On 6 March, Matteo Renzi presented his electoral programme with the slogans "Forward, together" (Avanti, insieme) and "On the Move" (In Cammino),Renzi riparte, e registra lo slogan-brand "In Cammino" in which he expressed his intention to renovate the party, Italy and Europe. He also announced an electoral ticket with the Agriculture Minister Maurizio Martina; Martina will become Deputy Secretary and will probably lead the party if Renzi becomes Prime Minister again.Ecco la sintesi della mozione congressuale di Matteo Renzi
From 10 to 12 March, Renzi and his supporters participated in Lingotto '17, a convention based in Lingotto district in Turin, where the Democratic Party was founded ten years before under the leadership of Walter Veltroni.Lingotto, Renzi apre la kermesse del Pd: "Rivendichiamo il futuro contro la paura" During his speech he harshly condemned the Five Star Movement (M5S), which he accused of being a populist party controlled by a private company, and Lega Nord, which he claimed uses fear to gain votes.Lingotto, Renzi: 'Basta con la paura, ridare speranza al Paese' Renzi attacked also European bureaucrats and proposed primary election to appoint the Party of European Socialists candidate for the European Commission presidency and the direct election of the president.Matteo Renzi apre il Lingotto contro gli euroburocrati: "Elezione diretta della Commissione Ue"
Among the notable participants of the pro-Renzi convention were Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, current ministers like Pier Carlo Padoan, Dario Franceschini, Graziano Delrio, Marianna Madia, Roberta Pinotti and Secretary Maria Elena Boschi.Torino, da Padoan a Lotti parata di ministri con Renzi al Lingotto Emma Bonino, historic Radical leader and former Foreign Affairs Minister, also participated in the rally.Emma Bonino: 'Vado al Lingotto per contaminare Renzi'