Conditions for the center-left coalition

Italia Viva leader Matteo Renzi concluded the 14th edition of the Leopolda convention in Florence on 4 October 2026, setting specific terms for entering a broad center-left coalition. Renzi responded to Five Star Movement leader Giuseppe Conte, who had previously stated that Democratic Party secretary Elly Schlein should serve as a guarantor for Renzi in any joint alliance. Renzi dismissed the idea of personal guarantors, citing Clint Eastwood to argue that guarantees belong to appliances, and instead proposed negotiating a binding, German-style coalition contract based strictly on policy agreements. He explained that Schlein was not suited to guarantee for him because she left the Democratic Party in protest over his signature Jobs Act reform.

“Elly Schlein is the least suitable person to act as a guarantor for me. Elly Schlein comes from a different history than mine and had the courage to confront me when whatever I said, I was the guru. She disagreed and left, and I appreciate that.”

Demands presented to Giuseppe Conte

Addressing Conte directly, Renzi presented three explicit conditions for Italia Viva's participation in an electoral pact. The demands prohibit League leader Matteo Salvini from returning to the Interior Ministry, exclude Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti from any future Council of Ministers, and require the coalition to oppose former US President Donald Trump. Renzi criticized Giorgetti over public accounting errors and his interventions in the banking sector regarding UniCredit. He also stipulated that any future president at the Quirinale must be an explicit pro-European rather than a sovereignist or populist.

“We ask for three guarantees: never again Salvini at the Interior Ministry, never again Giorgetti in the Council of Ministers, and that we will never stand on the side of Donald Trump.”

Foreign policy and coalition expansion

Foreign policy formed another central point of contention between Italia Viva and the Five Star Movement, specifically regarding military assistance to Ukraine. While the Five Star Movement opposes future weapons deliveries to Kyiv, Renzi argued that halting military aid would cause Ukraine to cease existing, while maintaining that diplomatic negotiations remain necessary. Pier Ferdinando Casini addressed the Leopolda convention for the first time, arguing in favor of continued European defense commitments.

“Ukraine is not sold, it is defended to defend ourselves.”

During the three-day gathering, Italia Viva sought to broaden its Casa Riformista platform ahead of the 2027 general election, extending an open invitation to centrist and reformist members of Forza Italia. The convention drew several outside political figures, including Democratic Party MEP Giorgio Gori, former deputy Emanuele Fiano, Matteo Hallisey of +Europa, and Campania regional president Vincenzo De Luca. Renzi also endorsed former La Repubblica editor Mario Calabresi as a potential mayoral candidate for Milan, while trading polemics with Enterprise Minister Adolfo Urso regarding artificial intelligence policy.

Electoral stakes and coalition dynamics

Renzi framed the forthcoming general election as a direct choice between stopping the governing right-wing coalition or allowing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to consolidate power. He warned that an electoral victory by the right could lead to Meloni taking the presidency at the Quirinale and introducing de facto presidentialism. Renzi maintained that a unified center-left alliance retains the numerical advantage required to win the national ballot, adding that Italia Viva is prepared to back the candidate closest to its positions if coalition leadership is decided through open primary elections.