Outgoing secretary claims primary success. “Many criticisms but participation confirms that the path is right”. To whom the new leader will be tonight the dem advises: “I hope he has the conditions to deal above all with what is happening outside. I have spent too much time having to manage internal affairs”.
In the Pd section of Testaccio there is a banner ‘Thank you Enrico. Pd Testaccio’. A large white sheet, red writing. He stands on the wall while Letta is preparing to take the ballot paper for the vote in the primaries, the last one as Pd secretary. But that banner is not the greeting to Letta’s last hours as dem leader by the militants of his section. It is a greeting that dates back to a few years ago. To 2014 when Letta left Palazzo Chigi and the Renzi era opened. “It’s from the times of ‘stay calm’….”, explains the little-headed scrutineer. This time, however, the climate is very different.
“I leave the scene and make him happy after this day of celebration and democracy”, he tells reporters and also claims the correctness of the chosen path, confirmed by a participation that seems to go beyond expectations. “A great celebration of democracy, a great success of participation. We will well exceed one million”, predicted the outgoing secretary.
And he remarks: “A great sign of success and satisfaction is seeing that the path to get to the primaries was the right one, despite so many criticisms: too slow, too long, too short. I think it was right. It wouldn’t have been right to do it immediately, with a hot shot, after the policies. Now, however, there are the conditions to start again”.
secretary, ‘too much time behind internal affairs, my successor does not do it’
Letta then addresses the candidates: “I thank Bonaccini, Schlein and the other candidates for a very correct campaign and the thousands of volunteers from our party who have made this celebration of democracy possible. I claim with great pride that we are the only party to do the primaries and this large turnout is proof that the choices made were the right ones”.
And to whoever takes the lead of the Democratic Party tonight, Letta leaves a piece of advice first of all: “I’ve spent too much time having to manage internal events, whoever succeeds me I hope will have the conditions to deal above all with what happens outside, in society” And he adds: “This party needs unity and a leadership that deals more with what happens outside the party than inside the party”, he underlines, reducing the classification of split scenarios to “a game that appeals to those in the Transatlantic”.
“Today we give a great idea of unity and I am convinced that whoever wins the primaries will carry it forward. There have been months in which I too have personally been subjected to a thousand ironies and a thousand criticisms. I believe it was the right method because today whoever is elected will have strong legitimacy. I am convinced that he will be able to manage this party as a unit”. Letta concludes: “I wish whoever happens to me to do better than what I did”. he assures reporters before saying goodbye (by Mara Montanari)
Source-www.adnkronos.com