Cateno De Luca and the 2027 election campaign: his key role in Sicily and the alliance with Fratelli d’Italia
A charismatic and controversial leader, De Luca could influence the outcome of the forthcoming general election thanks to his popularity and the new electoral system
For Cateno De Luca, leader of Sud chiama Nord and mayor of Taormina, the 2027 general election looks set to be yet another platform for one of Sicilian politics’ best-known figures. With the final approval of the new electoral law, the agreement reached with Fratelli d’Italia ahead of next year’s election could prove decisive. Everyone remembers when Silvio Berlusconi lost the 2006 general election to Romano Prodi by fewer than 24,000 votes. And even under the new electoral system, just one more vote than the opposition (provided they exceed 42 per cent) will be enough to secure the majority bonus. And it’s likely that within Giorgia Meloni’s party, they’ve already started doing some calculations: the more than 507,000 votes that De Luca secured in the 2022 Sicilian regional elections (as well as the 284,629 votes won by the list bearing his name in the 2024 European elections) could prove decisive. Who knows, perhaps by taking votes away from Vannacci’s Futuro Nazionale and the M5S in the South.
First steps in politics
Born in Fiumedinisi, a small town in the province of Messina, in 1972, De Luca embodies the story of a local leader capable of transforming his deep local roots into a political phenomenon on a regional and national scale. His career began at a very young age, when he took his first steps within the ranks of the Christian Democrats. Having graduated with a degree in Law and established himself professionally in the sector of employer and trade union services (Fenapi), he was able to apply his knowledge of the bureaucratic apparatus and the mechanisms of local support to administrative work.
A career in Sicilian local government
From his first terms of office in his home town of Fiumedinisi, he went on to lead Santa Teresa di Riva, before winning the mayoral seat in Messina in 2018 and, subsequently, to Taormina in 2023. A career marked by a direct communication style, an aggressive use of social media and constant engagement with the local community, which have earned him the well-known nickname “Scateno”. However, reducing De Luca to his public persona alone risks overlooking the substance of his support. His political platform centres on a strong-arm style of administration, focused on balancing local authority budgets, reorganising public services and a strongly anti-establishment rhetoric.
Anti-establishment rhetoric
In the 2022 Sicilian regional elections, through the movement Sud chiama Nord, he emerged as the island’s second-largest political force, cementing a role that challenged the traditional balance of power between the centre-right and centre-left. Over the years, his political and administrative activities have been intertwined with complex legal proceedings. Involved in investigations into matters relating to his administration in Fiumedinisi and tax issues, De Luca has faced numerous legal proceedings, the majority of which have resulted in acquittals and dismissals. Rather than marginalising him, these incidents have often been woven into his public narrative as evidence of his resilience and his distance from the so-called ‘corridors of power’. He is now competing with similar figures such as Roberto Vannacci and the M5S
