Meloni, Cateno’s ‘Leghuzza’ and the poll on Calenda

The South is calling on Meloni, but the League supporters are calling on Salvini: “Cateno De Luca joins the coalition, Donzelli meets with Bandecchi’s friends and an FdI senator is helping Marco Rizzo. It’s hurting us.” Who will be next? The left is putting anyone and everyone on the ‘Freccia Lenin’ (Carc, Rifondazione Comunista – only Cospito is missing, but only because he’s under the 41 bis regime) and the right, to compensate, is offering first-class tickets. Salvini rang Meloni (as reported by Ileana Sciarra, the ‘coral’ of *Il Messaggero*) to tell her: “Cateno De Luca is taking on the dregs; I can’t stand by him like this.” Today it’s Bandecchi’s turn, and League members point out: “He caused Donatella Tesei to lose the regional elections in Umbria.”

These are coalition rumours, but there is something else going on. There is talk of a poll, commissioned by Meloni’s supporters, to gauge the centre-right’s standing with Calenda replacing Salvini. De Luca is courting Paolo Grimoldi’s League members and has already secured the backing of Paolo Amenta, president of ANCI Sicily, as well as Ernesto Magorno (remember him?), the former secretary of the PD in Calabria and a senator for Italia Viva. De Luca’s manoeuvre is more than a mere addition. He envisages the CDU and CSU joining the alliance as standard, which would allow him to elect eight MPs. It began as a bit of a lark, but this coalition of De Luca’s could prove to be a bridge spanning the divide from left to right – from the former League to the government – and the alternative to Vannacci. In Sicilian, it could be called the ‘Leghuzza’.