A new proposal has emerged in the debate over how the broad progressive coalition should select its lead figure ahead of the next elections. The idea, put forward by Alessandro Onorato, national coordinator of Progetto Civico Italia and assessor for major events in Rome's municipal administration, was outlined in an interview with the newspaper Il Foglio.

Onorato suggested two possible paths. The first would involve holding primaries, ideally organized in September with a vote in October, which he described as a democratic exercise. He noted, however, that PD leader Elly Schlein appears reluctant on this option.

The alternative path would involve indicating an authoritative figure to represent the coalition without designating a premier candidate. Under this proposal, the actual designation of the premier would remain the prerogative of President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, to be exercised after the vote based on the results. Onorato argued that in Italy's parliamentary system the Constitution assigns the indication of the premier to the Head of State, and stressed that the program should come before any personal choice.

According to Editoriale Domani, this hypothesis would also imply a step back by Elly Schlein and Giuseppe Conte, the leaders of PD and M5S respectively, with attention reportedly focusing on Silvia Salis as a potential reference figure. These latter elements, however, are not confirmed by other sources and remain part of an ongoing internal discussion.