Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini met on the sidelines of the Council of Ministers sessions held in Rome last Tuesday. However, the preface to the meeting was not very good and it did not have a particularly positive outcome. Both leaders, both presidents brothers of italy like this League, inseparable partners The current right-wing ruler ruling Italy has been fighting for days. internal rivalries to his coalition. The meeting was therefore supposed to serve to resolve differences. It didn’t work. Observers summarized it as “Black smoke”.
The relationship between Salvini and Meloni showed its delicate balance from the beginning. But now the real issue of the struggle is this: election appointments This year is approaching. Not only will the European Parliament in June elect future members, but regional elections It will be held in Italy. Both powers compete an electorate they partly share There are five Italian regions where elections are scheduled to be held in 2024: Abruzzo, Basilicata, Piedmont, Umbria and Sardinia.
The main and most visible conflict took place precisely on this Italian island. The union immediately declared its support for the current regional president, Christian Solinas. On the other hand, the Brothers of Italy, its source falling in the polls of your party Salviniannounced his support for Paolo Truzzu, a member of Meloni’s party and the current mayor of Cagliari, Sardinia. Problem: Not presenting itself as a coalition will leave its competitors behind from both.
train crash
In negotiations that lasted for weeks, brothers of italy didn’t give bending of the arm. “Solinas has not demonstrated bad management, but we think our candidate can do better,” said Minister Francesco Lollobrigida, Meloni’s brother-in-law and one of the visible faces of the ongoing negotiations with the Union. In the same vein, the Union was determined to defend its strategy. solution finally came an unexpected way. On Wednesday night, the court heard Solinas was arrested. corruption investigation openedThis greatly reduced his chances of continuing as the League’s candidate.
However, various experts have also talked about this issue. fire friend The conflict between the league and Italy Brothers has pointed out that this situation is likely to continue at least through this year. This is because, first of all, roles bipartisan now it’s reversed; during The league has lost its power popularity Meloni has grown so much. An example of this is the European elections five years ago. At the time, Salvini’s party received 34 percent of the vote, while the Brothers of Italy received 6.4 percent; That was about 25 points higher than the polls’ current figure.
Meloni’s weight
“He will try To make yourself as visible as possible get his votes“, said Giovanni Orsina, professor of Political Science at the Luiss University of Rome, in his recent statements to the press. “What I hope is that [Salvini] becoming more and more annoying [en sus reclamos a Meloni]”, added. MelonHe is also calling on his own behalf. strengthen your leadership Other experts noted that he currently serves as the head of the strongest party in the coalition.
Another situation is VenetoIt is not clear whether the right-wing coalition will present a single candidate. This situation represents another problem for Salvini because the outgoing regional president is an experienced name. Luca ZaiaHe belongs to the rival current within the league leader’s own party. As if this wasn’t enough, Veneto is not just any region. It is one of the richest in the country and is at the center of one of the League’s main political battles to gain more autonomous power.
Another issue is this. European. There “smiles and hugs Between Meloni and (European Commission President Ursula) von der Leyen “They are losing sleep over the president of the union,” said Arturo Celetti in the pages of Avvenire. Reference is made here to the fact that the European political family of the European leader is the European People’s Party (EPP). Meloni has been dating in recent months, and this despite the fact that the Italian is head of another group called European Conservatives and Reformists to give life to some kind of alliance Informality in future European institutions.
The Prime Minister recently announced that he is not ruling out participating in the European elections; This is a step that some have interpreted as a way for his rivals and political partners to reveal their cards. Likewise, the junior partner of the coalition Forza Italyhe implied that not willing to market The conflict between Meloni and Salvini in areas where there is political weight needs to be resolved. A situation that leaves the door open more sparks throughout this year.