The aftermath of Salvini’s party conference. Between Sardone, sombre silences and Fontana under siege at the palace

A few days after the conclusion of the Bulgarian congress (not to say ‘farce’, as many activists also call it), the League has dealt the Northern Front a bitter blow. Although the candidate of the so-called Front, Massimo Garavaglia, secured an unexpected result that went beyond a mere token showing, with 24 per cent of the delegates, Matteo Salvini, who continues to court only Luca Zaia – today with the post of sole deputy secretary, tomorrow with a seat in the Senate, the day after tomorrow with an (unlikely ministerial post) – is going his own way, that of the most hardline right, appeasing the malcontents with a ‘federal Italy’ in the party emblem.

In Milan, Silvia Sardone is now calling the shots as an all-powerful figure, with a ‘remigrationist’ stance, as the Lega’s candidate for mayor of Milan (and not merely a figurehead: as evidenced by the ongoing infighting within the centre-right between Forza Italia, which is backing Matteo Perego from Cremnago). Within the centre-right in the north, the waters are becoming increasingly turbulent, not least due to the cumbersome presence of Ignazio La Russa, who managed the feat of insulting Letizia Moratti (she had asked to speak during a rally on security, and he snapped: ‘Who the fuck gives a shit about her?’). La Russa is also on edge because his mayoral candidate, Maurizio Lupi – a move, it must be said, characterised by logical and political cynicism – has been ousted by his own majority (by Meloni). And the accusations levelled by the historian Ponzani regarding ‘Milan’s Black Thursday’ on 12 April 1973 have certainly not put his mind at ease.

But back to the Lega: in this climate, will there be a showdown for the northerners? Some are still hoping for a place in the new executive committee, but their chances are slim. Certainly, the rebels will find no room on the electoral lists for a safe seat in Parliament – partly because, with 5 per cent of the national vote, the number of seats will decrease – and, above all, because Salvini’s loyalists, who controlled the party conference, expect to be rewarded.

In the regional government, Attilio Fontana is now holed up in his ‘stronghold’ at the Pirellone, but has no intention of stepping down before his term naturally ends in 2028. He is under particular pressure from members of Fratelli d’Italia, who are instead pushing for an early election to take over the 35th floor. Names are already being bandied about, such as Ettore Prandini, the current president of Coldiretti, and Giovanni Bozzetti, president of Fondazione Fiera, who is highly active and well-regarded in influential circles. On the other hand, Luca Zaia’s low-key participation in the congress seems to have put an end to the famous ‘pact between the northern governors’ signed in 2025 in Mestre with Massimiliano Fedriga, Fontana and Maurizio Fugatti, aimed at a return to Bossi’s Lega, a federalist party.

“I don’t see much room for the League of the old guard,” admits a League executive from the suburbs, without revealing too much, “perhaps Garavaglia, if the boss so wishes, will find a place in the secretariat, but it will be Salvini who sets the tone: always the same, chasing after Vannacci. On the other hand, Salvini has been blunt in labelling the leaders who boycotted Pontida as ‘traitors’. And then his supporters continue to attack Massimiliano Romeo (Senate group leader), who was called into question at the congress, and this does not bode well. Even those who have gone to great lengths to support Garavaglia, such as Massimo Sertori and Claudia Maria Terzi, will not have an easy time of it in the coming months. The wild card remains Giancarlo Giorgetti, who gave a few tentative signals at the party conference. But he’s preoccupied with other matters; he’s living in a world of his own.”

For Salvini, Lombardy remains a thorn in his side, because in addition to the election campaign for Milan (which, apart from Marco Formentini’s long-standing bid, does not bode well for the Carroccio), there is the turning point in the regional government which, after Bobo Maroni and Attilio Fontana, could pass – if the national agreements hold – into the hands of Fdi. The party congress, incidentally, marked the humiliation of the party’s local administrators, who have always formed the backbone of the Carroccio. Some are even calling for the provinces of Bergamo, Brescia and Varese to be placed under special administration, as they are led by officials considered unreliable. However, Salvini’s victory, even if widely anticipated (the delegates at the congress were the same ones who had previously elected him), could put the brakes on the Northern League, averting even more traumatic decisions.