Fontana: the revival of the League is a priority for the centre-right

“The revival of the Lega is a priority for the entire centre-right coalition,” said Attilio Fontana, president of the Lombardy region and a long-standing Lega leader, in an interview with the Corriere della Sera published today. Fontana stated that party activists “not only in Lombardy but throughout the North are listening to the public and reporting a sense of unease”.

As the cause of this widespread sentiment, a large part of Matteo Salvini’s party leadership points to a specific figure: the Lega has fallen from 34 per cent to 5 per cent of the vote in the space of a few years. “In short, the problem is there, and so it is appropriate to work towards finding a way out of this decline; reaching a solution is beneficial not only for the Lega, but for the entire centre-right.” According to the President of Lombardy, it ultimately comes down to “revising the party’s approach in a sustainable and effective manner”.

The main theory in this regard is, of course, that of a change at the top of the Carroccio, a possibility that has been the subject of increasing discussion in recent months. When asked about a possible reshuffle of the leadership, Fontana replied that “No solution should be ruled out a priori”, because “the League does not fear renewal”. The leader used terms such as ‘collective leadership’ and spoke of a ‘strong team’ within the party, which is reportedly already taking action on various issues, ranging from civil rights to the modernisation of the state through greater federalism and greater autonomy for local authorities. It is not clear, however, whether this team is the same as the federalist faction that could be forming around Fontana himself, and which has been the subject of leaks in recent weeks.

For his part, Matteo Salvini has repeatedly reiterated that he is not prepared to step down from the party leadership, and has dismissed the idea of a return to the Northern League’s regional structure, which he described as “the stuff of nostalgics”, stating that “the world has changed”. A group of loyalists is also coalescing around the Deputy Prime Minister, including ministers Roberto Calderoli and Giancarlo Giorgetti. On the opposing side, however, there are other prominent figures within the League, ranging from Minister Locatelli to a group of leaders – mainly at local level – who in recent weeks have called for the secretary’s resignation, as reported by Il Foglio, explicitly stating that: “Salvini must step aside. We have been far too quiet and compliant; now the League’s future is at stake.”