Salvini calls League congress to shore up leadership

Matteo Salvini, facing internal challenges and declining poll numbers, has unexpectedly called an extraordinary congress for his co-ruling League party. The move, seen by analysts as an effort to consolidate his authority, is set to take place in October, just 18 months after the last congress.

Recent surveys indicate the League has fallen below 6% support, trailing coalition partner Forza Italia and National Future, a new far-right group formed by League dissidents, which is polling at approximately 8%. While Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy remains the leading party, the League's dip and the rise of National Future have weakened the broader conservative alliance, which now lags behind the center-left opposition in recent polls.

Salvini, who has led the League since 2013 and transformed it from a regional movement into a national far-right entity, achieving a record 34% in the 2019 European Parliament election, has been increasingly overshadowed by Meloni. Critics, including Lombardy Governor Attilio Fontana, are questioning his leadership and advocating for a return to the party's northern roots.

Lorenzo Castellani, a politics professor at Luiss University in Rome, suggested that holding a congress now allows Salvini to reinforce his legitimacy before the upcoming elections and limit the prolonged campaigning period for his internal opponents. He noted that Salvini might be capitalizing on the current lack of a strong challenger within the party.

The party board is scheduled to meet on Monday in Milan to establish the rules for the congress. It remains uncertain whether Salvini's leadership will be directly contested or if delegates will vote solely on the party's political direction. Castellani also speculated that Salvini's decision to convene a congress could signal an earlier-than-expected general election, despite Meloni's stated intention to serve her full term until next autumn.