The Movimento 5 Stelle (M5S) will hold the final assembly of its 18-month participatory governance project in Milan on September 19-20, marking what party leader Giuseppe Conte describes as the most ambitious citizen-driven policy platform ever attempted in Italy. The results will be put to a membership vote and forwarded to progressive coalition partners as the foundation for a national government program.
Why This Matters:
• 16,500 participants—44% not affiliated with M5S—contributed ideas across 100 cities, making this one of the largest grassroots policy experiments in Italian political history.
• 12 priority areas now form the skeleton of a left-leaning coalition platform that could define Italy's next government, pending general elections.
• Open Space Technology was used to replace traditional top-down party conferences, allowing participants to set the agenda themselves.
• The binding vote by M5S members means this is not symbolic—whatever passes will become non-negotiable coalition demands.
What Is Nova and Why Should Residents Care
"Nova – Parola all'Italia" is the M5S's second major experiment in direct democracy, following its 2022 internal constitutional overhaul. Unlike traditional party congresses where leaders draft policy and members rubber-stamp, this process inverted the hierarchy: citizens proposed themes, facilitators recorded them in real time, and national leadership committed to adopting the results without editorial veto.
The guiding question posed to participants was explicit: "What must a progressive coalition government do in the next five years to concretely improve the lives of Italians?" No pre-set agenda was offered. Instead, attendees in cities from Alessandria to Palermo self-organized into working groups using Open Space Technology, a method that eliminates lecterns, hierarchies, and intermediaries.
This is not theoretical. The M5S is a pivotal player in any center-left coalition, and the party has made explicit commitments to adopting the results of this process. If the party formalizes this platform and withholds support unless its partners agree, the content of these citizen assemblies could directly shape national legislation on healthcare, taxation, and housing.
The 12 Pillars of the Platform
The M5S leadership distilled the contributions from the assembly phases into 12 priority areas that form the backbone of the emerging platform:
Reform of the National Health Service and protection of patient rights
Inclusive economic growth and dignified labor conditions
Tax evasion enforcement and corporate ethics
Ecological transition and environmental safeguards
Education, research, and merit-based advancement
Digitalization and innovation
Social justice and inequality reduction
Security and rule of law
Public administration reform
Housing policy and urban regeneration
Sustainable mobility and infrastructure
Cultural heritage valorization
Each category incorporates themes raised during the participatory phases, reflecting the priorities identified by the 16,500 participants across Italy.
How the Process Worked in Practice
The initiative unfolded in three phases:
Phase One (May 2026): On May 16-17, the party organized over 100 simultaneous events in cities across Italy, plus two online sessions for Italians abroad. Approximately 16,500 people attended, with some locations recording substantial non-member participation. This was not preaching to the converted; it was an open call that drew independents, activists from other movements, and politically unaffiliated residents frustrated with conventional politics.
Phase Two (June 2026): On June 20 and 27, a deliberative phase convened selected participants online to debate key themes. Facilitators provided structured discussion guides but did not steer conclusions. The goal was depth over consensus—participants were encouraged to articulate competing visions and trade-offs rather than paper over disagreements.
Phase Three (September 2026): The Milan event will present the synthesized platform. Conte has promised that citizens remain "always at the center" of the process. Following the presentation, the M5S membership will vote electronically to ratify the platform, which will then be submitted to coalition partners as the party's priorities for any future government agreement.
What This Means for Coalition Politics
M5S has undergone a sharp leftward pivot since 2022, abandoning its earlier populist ambiguity to embrace social-democratic positions on labor, welfare, and climate. This repositioning has made it a natural partner for the Partito Democratico (PD) in any progressive coalition, though it also introduces questions about policy alignment.
A recurring theme in the Nova sessions was the emphasis on binding coalition agreements that go beyond vague declarations of intent to commit to measurable policy outcomes—reflecting participant expectations for concrete rather than incremental change.
Why Traditional Parties Are Watching Closely
This is not the first time Italian politics has engaged with participatory methods—Beppe Grillo's original M5S promised direct democracy via online voting—but it is the most methodologically transparent attempt to date. The use of Open Space Technology and the commitment to adopting results without editorial veto sets a new standard for accountability.
If the Milan assembly produces a coherent platform and the membership ratifies it, M5S will have executed a rare feat: binding its leadership to grassroots decisions without descending into chaos. If it works, other parties will face pressure to replicate the model.
Practical Implications for Residents
For people living in Italy, the immediate impact depends on the outcome of future general elections. If a progressive coalition takes power and M5S holds enough seats to influence government formation, several priorities identified in citizen assemblies could move toward policy development:
• National Health Service reform: Participants highlighted proposals to address privatization trends, increase public funding, and reduce wait times in under-served regions.
• Housing and urban regeneration: Housing policy appeared prominently in territorial discussions, reflecting resident concerns about affordability and urban development.
• Tax enforcement: Anti-evasion measures were identified as a key priority in citizen assemblies.
• Ecological transition: Citizen discussions emphasized renewable energy and public transport expansion, particularly in metropolitan areas.
None of this is guaranteed. Coalition governments in Italy require negotiation and compromise among partners with differing priorities. But the commitment to the membership vote means the party must reckon seriously with what emerged from this process.
The Milan Event and What Comes Next
Conte has framed the September 19-20 gathering as a "celebration of participation." The format will include plenary sessions and workshops featuring both delegates from the territorial assemblies and invited experts.
Following the event, the M5S membership will vote electronically to ratify the platform. If approved, it becomes the party's official program for coalition negotiations.
The real test comes afterward: coalition discussions. Other progressive parties will need to find common ground on key priorities. M5S will need to decide where it can compromise and where it will insist on its platform commitments—choices that could shape Italian politics for the next electoral cycle.
For now, the experiment has demonstrated one thing clearly: large-scale citizen participation in policy design is logistically feasible in Italy. Whether it proves politically sustainable remains to be seen.
