A new challenge for Salvini: former members revive the Northern League; a committee for the party conference is formed

A new front has opened up for Matteo Salvini: a group of former MPs and provincial secretaries are seeking control of the former Northern League and have therefore set up the Committee for the Convening of the Federal Congress.

The organisers – including Gianluca Pini, a former Lega MP for Forlì and one of the founders of the committee, who was born in the capital of Romagna – have for years been calling for the Northern League congress to be held, which has now been reclassified as ‘bad company’ to cover the 49 million arising from Bossi’s administration (electoral reimbursements deemed irregular by the magistrates) that the League must repay to the State. The aim of the congress would be to ‘snatch’ the Northern League from the control of the current commissioner Igor Iezzi, a staunch supporter of Salvini. A Northern League that has effectively been ‘dormant’ since the registration on 14 December 2017 of the ‘League for Salvini as Prime Minister’.

It remains to be seen who will join the initiative on the ‘northern’ front, which opposes Salvini’s line and includes the governors Attilio Fontana (Lombardy), Massimiliano Fedriga (Friuli-Venezia Giulia), Maurizio Fugatti (Province of Trento) and the former president of Veneto Luca Zaia, as well as the Senate group leader Massimiliano Romeo. This front has called on the secretary to ensure collective leadership of the party and is working to establish a ‘northerners’ cultural association’ (effectively a faction) within the Lega under Salvini’s leadership.

At present, it appears that no senior members of the Lega are involved in the operation. “I’ve heard about this initiative too, but it has absolutely nothing to do with the discussions we’re having with Salvini,” was the response, for example, from Attilio Fontana, President of the Lombardy Region, when asked about the initiative by former Northern League MPs who have set up the Committee for the Convening of the Federal Congress. Speaking on the sidelines of the Monza Grand Prix presentation, Fontana confirmed that he will be meeting Matteo Salvini: “We’re trying to coordinate our schedules. On Sunday, we hope to celebrate the Grand Prix together. Then we’re also hoping for something more, given that we have two opportunities this year.”

The Northern League owns the electoral symbol of Alberto da Giussano and authorises its use by the current ‘League for Salvini as Prime Minister’, registered on 14 December 2017. But what do the committee’s members want? “Our committee was set up to secure the convening of the Northern League’s federal congress, to unblock the emblem and revive the old party,” explains Pini, who adds: “We started collecting signatures three days ago and have already gathered around a hundred; they are all ordinary party members from across the North. This isn’t a nostalgic exercise, but they have flouted the Northern League’s rules and constitution. If they do not convene the congress, there will be legal action.”