M5S: 91.7 per cent are calling on Conte to say no to arms for Ukraine
From the stage at Nova, the Movement’s leader, Giuseppe Conte, sets out the priorities for the centre-left in the event of an election victory. Schlein: “Many points worth supporting have emerged from the M5S’s approach; we will discuss the rest.”
Key points
- The breakthrough in the Ukraine negotiations
- At the first Council of Ministers meeting, the anti-dissent measures were repealed
- A message to Di Battista: come back to us soon
- The M5S leader: ‘I am honoured by this mandate; I am not prepared to just muddle through’
- Schlein: ‘Many points we agree with have emerged from the M5S’s approach; we’ll discuss the rest’
The grassroots of the Five Star Movement, with 91.7 per cent of votes in favour, have given Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte a mandate to take to the coalition negotiating table their opposition to ‘continuing to send arms’ to Ukraine, on the grounds that this ‘undermines peace’. The ‘primacy of international law’ received 98.3 per cent of the ‘yes’ votes, whilst the proposal for an international conference and the recognition of the State of Palestine received 97.9 per cent. 94.1 per cent voted against the European rearmament plan and 91.8 per cent against increased defence spending.
Conte, primaries? I have been given a clear mandate; I cannot shirk it
“There is a community – comprising not only party members but also many non-members – which has given me a clear mandate: so I cannot shirk this responsibility, and once we have finalised the draft of our joint programme, we will also address the issue of the primaries.” This was stated by the leader of the Five Star Movement, Giuseppe Conte, on Tg5.
‘We must build paths to peace’
“It seems to me that a clear and precise mandate is emerging: we must build paths to peace; war gets us nowhere. Weapons drive peace away.” Conte made these remarks from the stage at Nova (the participatory process to propose a programme to the centre-left alliance). “We need to invest where the needs of citizens, families and businesses truly lie – no to a war economy, no to rearmament,” he added. ‘At a time of great suffering for the country, we have laid the foundations to build, together, projects of hope – nurseries and schools – and to strengthen research, universities and innovation, rather than building sites for war and arsenals full of weapons.’
A breakthrough in the Ukraine negotiations
“When it comes to building paths towards peace and true security – that is, cooperative security, not that of military deterrence – we will never be alone,” the M5S leader reiterated. “The entire European population will, I am sure, support us. And in any case, if Italia takes the lead and plays a key role in this shift, we will inspire others, because when you have courage and a clear vision, you know how to inspire others”, not least because “we have seen the military gamble play out for four and a half years. Today, we need someone with the determination to bring added value to this shift towards negotiation”.
At the first Council of Ministers meeting, the anti-dissent measures were repealed
Should the centre-left win, Conte sets out the agenda of priorities: ‘The first Council of Ministers meeting must have a very simple focus: to repeal the justice and security measures that stifle political dissent.’
