Salvini Faces Challenge over League Slump

A senior figure in Italy’s League has publicly raised the possibility of replacing Matteo Salvini as party leader as support for the party continues to decline.

Attilio Fontana, president of the northern Lombardy region and an influential League politician, told Corriere della Sera that the party must “find a way out of this decline” and seek a solution that benefits both the League and Italy’s broader center-right coalition.

Asked whether that could mean replacing Salvini as leader, Fontana said “nothing should be ruled out”, adding that the party should not be afraid of renewal.

The League is currently polling at around 6%, a fraction of the support it enjoyed at its peak. In the 2019 European Parliament election, the party won more than 34% of the vote.

Dissatisfaction with Salvini’s leadership has been growing within the party, particularly in its traditional northern strongholds. Fontana is the first senior League figure to publicly acknowledge the possibility that Salvini could be replaced.

According to Fontana, party members in Lombardy and elsewhere in northern Italy are increasingly encountering dissatisfaction among voters.

(Reuters, est)