Zaia’s appointment as deputy secretary remains on hold. The former Doge: ‘There is only one League’

Anyone expecting the Lega’s Federal Council, which met in person at the Chamber of Deputies today, to produce decisions on the party’s future was left disappointed. It was an interim ‘Federal Council’ meeting at an operational level. However, it was not limited to the approval of the budget. It provided an opportunity to bring to the surface the discontent simmering within the party over the decline in support, drained away mainly by General Vannacci, and to begin considering the idea of a federal party modelled on the German CSU-CDU, championed by Luca Zaia. No appointments were made. The appointment of Zaia himself as deputy secretary remains on hold. The first to speak was Matteo Salvini, who reportedly called for a fresh start “based on the team, the organisation and the issues”. The secretary was laconic at the end of the summit. “It went well; when I talk about the League, I’m always happy,” the secretary remarked at the end of the summit.

The official statement released at the end of the meeting, which appears to be an overture to the governors present, states that Matteo Salvini listened ‘attentively’ to the speeches made at the Federal Council. And “he is determined to further strengthen the League, recognising the great commitment of the local administrators (who are appreciated across all regions) within the party”.

Zaia was more talkative. When asked whether the meeting had discussed plans for a party that would once again represent the north of the country – in reference to the idea of a splinter group of the Carroccio modelled on Germany’s CSU – he replied. But he added that ‘there are not two Leagues, and there never have been. There is only one Lega. When little Carducci was asked to write an essay about his mum, he wrote ‘my mum is my mum’.” ‘We had a wonderful federal meeting,’ he explained further, ‘everyone was able to put forward their ideas and I think it was constructive, given that a great many contributions were in line with the idea of being close to the people. And we’re moving in this direction; we’ll meet again. The more identity there is, the more consensus there is.”

There was no shortage of jibes aimed at General Vannacci. When asked whether former deputy secretary Roberto Vannacci had been absent from the meeting, Zaia replied: ‘We don’t live on nostalgia’. The former governor, who had travelled to Rome in person to attend the ‘federal’ meeting, made it clear in no uncertain terms that he would not accept the role of Salvini’s deputy without real powers. With a view to taking on a greater role within the Carroccio, Zaia, who boasts a personal relationship with Marina Berlusconi and is an advocate of a liberal right-wing movement attentive to civil rights (starting with end-of-life issues), is calling not only for a federalist reform of the party but also for a change of political direction: a Lega that is less ideological and more pragmatic, more responsive to the concerns of the North. In short, no to the ‘remigration’ policy championed by Vannacci. And more of a ‘regional union’ to protect the self-employed and SMEs.

The meeting lasted for over three hours, without interruption. Alongside Secretary Matteo Salvini and his deputies, those in attendance included the party’s ministers, parliamentary group leaders, and governors Attilio Fontana, Massimiliano Fedriga and Alberto Stefani. Ministers Valditara and Calderoli left the Salvadori Room to attend the Cabinet meeting at 12 noon, before returning to the Chamber to continue the proceedings.