Vannacci has swallowed up the League, Salvini is chasing the "general" on the right: but it's war with the governors of the North.
The Pontida gathering
Roberto Vannacci or Matteo Salvini ? Who is the true leader of the League ? This is the question that arose at the end of the League's usual rally in Pontida, which clearly revealed the metamorphosis of the party founded by Umberto Bossi .
A "creature" that has practically nothing left of the Bossian federalist movement, at least at its top levels. This was clearly demonstrated in the speeches from the stage during the two-day meeting in Pontida , which marked a clear split within the party.
On the one hand, the governors of the North and the "politburo" linked to the old battles, who in their own way have reiterated how the federalist soul must be and remain the founding value of the League: in this light, the interventions of regional presidents such as Attilio Fontana , Luca Zaia , Massimiliano Fedriga and Maurizio Fugatti , but also of experienced politicians in Rome such as Roberto Calderoli , Massimiliano Romeo and Riccardo Molinari should be read.
On the other side, the duality destined to shape the immediate future of the Northern League, namely Roberto Vannacci and Matteo Salvini. The latter, still suffering from kidney stones, is effectively forced to appear on the Pontida lawn to avoid giving the stage to the "general," the recipient of stadium-style chants from the young League members , like a rock star.
His slogans clash with those of the League of the past, with references to the X Mas and the themes most dear to the European far right: from the fascination with Vladimir Putin's Russia to the cultural war , with hate speech passed off as "freedom of expression", up to the new Charlie Kirk holy card.
It is in the face of this "hostile takeover bid" by Vannacci and his "teams"—organizations created by his loyalists that appear almost like a party within a party —that the "captain" takes the stage to reclaim his audience, paradoxically pursuing Vannacci's agenda and shifting the Northern League in the wake of "traditional" far-right parties. Moreover, the 500,000 votes Vannacci received in the June 2024 European elections demonstrate the former army officer, already appointed deputy secretary of Via Bellerio amid controversy from the party's "Northern" wing, has a significant impact on the Lega electorate.
Luca Zaia , the outgoing president of Veneto and the strongest and most authoritative voice in the Northern League, faithful to its former federalist stance, has no intention of chasing Vannacci and his far-right rhetoric. " Vannacci can be a valuable asset if he's a Lega supporter ," the governor makes clear, then tries to appease the "general's" appetite for the party: "We have a lot of capable people in the League; the secretaries are chosen at congresses and involve the League's people."
The most courageous, in an anti-Vannacci stance, is probably Trentino president Maurizio Fugatti , the only one to point out that " anti-fascism " was also one of the roots of Bossi's League. Other Northern representatives are more moderate in tone but still clear. Like Riccardo Molinari, group leader in Montecitorio, who points out that the League "doesn't need any change, nor to refer back to ideologies that have nothing to do with our history."
l'Unità
