M5s, Conte: surprised by Grillo compromising the constitution

'I am not polemical with Grillo, I am sorry, surprised and disconcerted that in the face of such an integral constituent process our founder should come in and undermine it'. This was said by M5s president Giuseppe Conte, interviewed at the Festa dell'Unità in Reggio Emilia together with the centre-left candidate for governor in Emilia Romagna, Michele de Pascale.

'I am not the one who thinks Renzi is losing votes, the Italians who respond to the polls are,' Conte added. Shortly before, however, when outgoing European commissioner Paolo Gentiloni had welcomed the 'return' of Italia Viva to the centre-left from the stage, a broadside of booing sounded from the audience.

Conte on the subject of the so-called 'wide field' said he preferred the expression 'cohesive field'. "In a poll I was read," he explained, "74 per cent of the voters in this area, on the left, call for the importance of cohesion, so cohesive camp we could say. It is important to build a winning alternative and you do it on the credibility of the project'.

"I believe that for a political force that expresses its own worldview to define its own identity by uncritically embracing another country's candidate is wrong. Between Macron and Le Pen? I would never vote for Le Pen, but I wouldn't have felt comfortable saying at the time that I would uncritically vote for Macron. Harris worked with Biden, why did he allow military and political coverage of what is happening in Gaza? We judge on the facts. If you take away the coverage of Netanyahu's government I will be the first to applaud you,' Conte added, speaking of foreign policy.