Regional elections in Tuscany, negotiations on the left: Giani secures the green light.

Florence, July 16, 2025 – "Now we're a team, no rushing ahead. And we can always call each other for anything; mine is always open. Understood?" A pointed look, a half-smile. Elly Schlein teaches us . At the Nazareno , at 6:30 pm on Monday, the crisis that could have changed the political geography of Tuscany seems to have been overcome with a sigh of relief, jointly prepared statements, promises, and hugs. So much so that governor Eugenio Giani dictates to the news agencies his "I entrust myself to the party" and, chased along Via del Tritone escorted by Igor Taruffi, adds "no step back," while Tuscan secretary Emiliano Fossi speaks of a "positive meeting."
The secretary herself renewed her confidence in Fossi and reassured the governor. He will be the candidate for the October 12th regional elections, but that's unclear because the extremely complicated issues in Puglia and Campania still need to be resolved. But Giani will be the candidate anyway. That's the promise he's wrung, even if they act crazy in Naples.
Until this week, Schlein certainly didn't think that the thermometer in Tuscany was overheating to the point of exploding, and on Monday he had to rally the party and the governor.
He doesn't even want to smell the stench of territories in revolt and a divided Democratic Party. The Tuscan Democrats' longest day begins at 2:30 PM. Around a table are Schlein, Giani, Fossi, Tuscan MP Marco Furfaro, and right-hand man Taruffi. At first, the atmosphere is tense. Giani's break with his self-candidacy via certified email without notifying anyone ("Eugenio, you should have called me," Schlein hisses) is the hot topic. Fossi thunders: "You didn't consult the party." The president takes it in stride, because this isn't the place to explain that the Democratic Party's statute requires it, or worse, to 'threaten' a vote count in a direction that would have benefited him. And he retorts: "Taruffi had exaggerated." The secretary also tries to press him about the alleged call to arms of clubs, mayors (142 to be precise out of 170 center-left mayors, half of whom are Schlein supporters), and the elders. Giani rejects the request. "I didn't solicit anyone." The pro-governor movement was apparently spontaneous. Including the CGIL. At the Nazareno, Tuscany's political landscape is being explored, seeking a broader perspective. Because even though it hasn't given the green light, the Italian Left is also effectively behind the outgoing governor. And yesterday, Nicola Fratoianni confirmed: "We never raised a personal issue with Giani, but a political one. Giani II, or the next government of Tuscany, will emerge within a different framework, with a different majority, which we hope will be broad, centered on the core of the alternative: AVS, PD, and M5S." All the waiting is on for the Five Star Movement. Still on standby. With the refrain: first the programs, the coalition, then the name of the candidate.
Elly repeated these words at the end of a conference in the Chamber of Deputies ("We are working on regional alliances in all six regions going to the polls to build more inclusive, more competitive alliances"). And then an irate Fossi reiterated them that evening at the regional secretariat. A decompression room and a realignment strategy awaiting the convening of the board, when the other major issue will have to be addressed: the limitations on candidacies and exemptions for councilors and assessors.
So, in the end, all was well. Or almost. Because after a heart-pounding Monday, when everything seemed to be calm again, the final blow arrived: a member of the Tuscan Democratic Party secretariat near Furfaro reconstructed the day to Dire , sneering: "Giani's ears were pulled." Two minutes later, the (anonymous) news was online. Giani called Taruffi: "Lucky we talked about teamwork." The angry secretary called Giani: "He immediately denied it." And indeed, five minutes later, Fossi denied the "journalistic reconstruction." The ears were pulled—seriously—to the leader who hadn't understood the fragile balance that had been achieved. And now it can't be shaken.
La Nazione