Giani's second term is ever closer, Fico's approval unlocks Tuscany. Democratic Party, the issue of candidacies.

Florence, July 18, 2025 – Checkmate Mad: in Campania, sheriff De Luca's veto on Roberto Fico has fallen. And the first toast to emerge from the agreement between Elly Schlein and Giuseppe Conte is in Tuscany . Now, the open spaces are opening up for the broader center-left to nominate Eugenio Giani , who could become the leader on July 29th. A new front now opens up: who should be granted the exemption for a three-term term? The outgoing councilors with a previous mandate as regional councilors, the now "roofed" Bonaccini Prime Minister, the mere councilors with two turns on the carousel on their resumes, or even the committee chairs? This is the Hamlet-like dilemma gripping the Democratic Party. Because at the headquarters of the regional secretariat, they don't want to hear about the extremely delicate "until August" dossier. Yet, the topic was briefly addressed at the end of the secretariat's agenda at the beginning of the week. But it's destined to take center stage in the next chapter. The compass here is the regional statute , whose northward-pointing needle refers to Article 35, paragraph 3, which "establishes a two-term limit for eligibility for the role of regional councilor" and, in any case, "for a maximum of 10 years when distributed over no more than three terms."

The 'trick' comes two paragraphs later: "Exceptions to the term limit (...) must be motivated by proven functional and political needs of the party." A political masterpiece to be ironed out at will, depending on the party's needs. Last but not least, the " Ceccarelli decree "—created by Vincenzo, outgoing councilor of the Rossi II government in 2020—that lock-key that keeps councilors in this legislature sleeping on two pillows: council terms are not added to those of councilors. For soldiers Alessandra Nardini, Serena Spinelli, Monia Monni, Stefano Baccelli, Simone Bezzini, and Leonardo Marras, the issue of exceptions doesn't even arise.

But what to do with the eager Francesco Gazzetti, Marco Niccolai, Enrico Sostegni, Giacomo Bugliani, and Federica Fratoni? And then there's the reformist Antonio Mazzeo. Having narrowly missed out on a spot in Brussels, the ambition is to keep going, were it not for the fact that the Pisa area is already dominated by Schlein's Nardini (and red-hot from the recent administration imposed by Nazareno, unlike Prato, where a segment of the Democratic Party has turned up its nose at the recent intervention of the investigated former mayor Ilaria Bugetti in the provincial administration). Rumors have described the reformists, so far, as acquiescent. Perhaps it's because of the convoy ready to sweep the parliamentary seats with the former mayors of Prato and Empoli, Biffoni and Barnini. But the picture becomes even more complex if we add the next round of local elections to the loose confines of the statute: Ceccarelli is already described as a launching pad for Arezzo, Biffoni is willing to sacrifice himself a third time to prevent the center-right from marching on Prato after the judicial earthquake. Maremma is the home of Councilor Marras , a staunch supporter of Giani; he could be the wild card to be used in 2026. It must be said that winning the golden ticket to the Region and then abdicating six months or a year later is a slippery slope for everyone. The Tetris game is completed with the guessing game of who will form the government at Palazzo Strozzi Sacrati: the broader the coalition field, the more mouths Giani will have to feed in the event of a repeat. The child prodigy Lorenzo Falchi has entered the race after nine years at the helm of Sesto, but Sinistra Italiana is reportedly ready to step aside in the government to make room for Eros Tetti of the Greens. Another hot name is Irene Galletti for the Five Star Movement. Schlein and Conte have already married Roberto Fico, with De Luca officiating in Campania, and spent their honeymoon with Giani in Tuscany.