Salvini calls October congress to settle internal revolt
Matteo Salvini will ask his party to confirm its faith in him. The secretary of Italy's League party announced a surprise extraordinary congress for October from the stage at Pontida, catching both loyalists and rebels off guard. He told supporters he would seek a vote of confidence "by a show of hands" — a direct challenge to the governors and northern factions who have spent months quietly pushing for a change in direction.
The announcement came in the final minutes of his speech at the traditional party gathering in the Bergamo foothills. According to associates and dissenters alike, the move had not been shared with anyone beforehand. Salvini had listened to criticism from the stage, faced chants demanding his return to the Interior Ministry, and then upended the event's scripted truce.
What changes and when
The federal council will meet tomorrow at 15:00 to decide what kind of congress this will be. Two options are on the table: an elective congress, where delegates choose leadership, or a programmatic one focused on confirming the secretary and potentially amending party statutes. The 2025 congress approved statute changes; this session could address proposals for a more federal structure with regional autonomy.
Salvini's move is widely seen as an attempt to outmaneuver the so-called "northern" faction. Party sources note that an elective congress would favor him: the secretary controls a large pool of committed delegates, making any alternative candidacy difficult. The dissenting governors — who had not explicitly demanded a congress — now face a choice: mount a challenge or fall in line.
Tensions on the sacred field
The gathering at Pontida was the first since the death of founder Umberto Bossi. The meadow where the party has met for decades was officially named after him this year, marked by a plaque bearing the Alpine Sun symbol and Alberto Da Giussano's image. The "Va', pensiero" chorus from Verdi's Nabucco, Bossi's chosen anthem, opened proceedings.
But unity was in short supply. As Massimiliano Romeo — the Lombardy League leader and one of those pushing for a distinct federal structure across north, centre and south — spoke from the stage, Salvini supporters chanted "Matteo, Matteo." The northern faction responded with "Romeo, Romeo." For a few seconds, insults flew between the two sides in a scene veteran members said they had never witnessed on that field.
Governors speak out — and hold back
Attilio Fontana, the President of Lombardy Region, delivered the sharpest rebuke. He defended his earlier criticisms, saying he had spoken "to defend Lombardy." When he hears "centralist talk," he said, "I don't stay quiet — I was born a federalist and I want federalism." Some in the crowd whistled.
Luca Zaia, the former President of Veneto, took a softer line. Asked afterward about who should lead the party, he said: "There's already a secretary, it seems obvious to me." He added that the League's reference points must remain the northern territories, warning that "the northern question" exists alongside the southern one, and the north "is Italy's locomotive and needs answers."
Massimiliano Fedriga of Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Maurizio Fugatti of Trentino arrived with Fontana but left without speaking to reporters. Sources within their group said they needed time to digest the congress announcement and plan any countermove.
The numbers behind the showdown
Salvini faces real pressure. Recent polls from SWG and other institutes place the League at between 5.3% and 5.5% nationally — a sharp drop from the 34.3% secured at the 2019 European elections and even the 9% from the 2024 European vote. A new party, Futuro Nazionale led by Roberto Vannacci, now polls between 7.3% and 7.9%, overtaking the League within the centre-right coalition.
The governors' push for a return to territorial politics and federalism reflects concern that the party has lost its identity. The current statute, approved in April 2025, commits the League to transforming Italy into a "modern federal state." But the northern wing argues that Salvini's national, sovereignist turn has erased the party's original purpose.
What happens next
Giancarlo Giorgetti attempted to calm the crowd, warning that "enemies are not inside the League but outside." Roberto Calderoli criticized those who "applaud Bossi here when yesterday we were four people remembering him." The founder's image — displayed on the stage and on the new plaque — remains the one figure everyone still invokes.
Salvini told supporters: "We win united, and the League is and will be more united than ever." He pressed allies on two policy points: demanding immediate deployment of 10,000 military personnel under the "Safe Streets" operation, and promising a fight over pensions and the flat tax in the upcoming budget law.
But his warning to dissenters was blunt. "The first voice out of line," he said, "doesn't harm me — it damages the voice of members across Italy, because this way we only do a favor to the left."
Tomorrow's federal council meeting will set the rules for October's contest. For now, Salvini has seized the initiative. The governors must decide whether to test his delegation advantage or accept defeat.
