Who will govern Veneto after Zaia? Here’s how things are

Salvini said he has 10 names in mind for Zaia’s successor but the wind has changed: here’s what could happen

VENICE – There is still time to decide who will replace Luca Zaia as president of Veneto. The leader of the League, Matteo Salvini, has already said that he has 10 names in his head, but Zaia will be the one to deal the cards. But the wind has already changed and the direction seems set: if the next European elections also see Giorgia Meloni’s party in first place then the Veneto will be governed by Fratelli Italia, with an area president who already has approval of the party leader. Listening to some Venetian centre-right sources at a transversal level, here is the picture that is emerging.

“Inside Fratelli d’Italia – they explain – there is the regional councilor for Labour, Elena Donazzan, who is already thinking of running for the next regional elections.” But aren’t you a candidate in the European elections? “True, and it is precisely that she wants to leave from there. Donazzan is telling people that he will get at least 80,000 preferences, and that he will use that strong consensus when the time comes to decide on the presidential candidate.” But there is a problem, apparently Donazzan is not considered to be in strict compliance with the leader of the Brothers of Italy. Inside Meloni’s party, in fact, they invite us to turn our antennas in the direction of “the minister Adolfo Urso born in Padua“.

What does that have to do with anything? “Urso has already spotted the candidate – they explain – among his first appointments, in fact, he chose Matteo Zoppas as president of ICE. And he has all the characteristics of the right man for the new political phase of the Brothers of Italy in Veneto”. Born in 1974 in Pordenone, Matteo Zoppas he graduated in Business Economics from the Luigi Bocconi University of Milan, and among his many significant roles are those that refer to Confindustria. Zoppas was a member of the Central Council of the national Confindustria, then President of Confindustria Venezia and from 2017 to 2019 President of Confindustria Veneto. An exponent who is not overtly party, but from an area, with an entrepreneurial vision and a strong connection with the regional economy. With him, they say, “Fratelli d’Italia would make a great leap in quality, with a high profile person and not merely a party member”.

And Salvini’s League? In Veneto, as Governor Zaia has already made clear, General Vannacci’s candidacy has created great discontent, and many fear that there will be a large transfer of Northern League votes towards Fdi and Forza Italia because, they explain, “Veneto is a Christian Democratic and moderate land that does not like extremism”. It’s there too Flavio Tosi, once a Northern League member now in Forza Italia, “who is already working to create confusion and space for himself – they explain – someone thinks that if the centre-right were to ‘split’ he could play it on his own, perhaps by creating his own list and also trusting of the possible votes that would come from the centre-left, very divided and out of any game, which at that point could play for at least a marginal victory”. But other respondents think they are just the thoughts of the interested parties.

But we can see that there are big problems within the Veneto League by following the advice of a source “to look at what is happening in Bassano del Grappa, a large and significant municipality. There the outgoing mayor of Salvini’s League, Elena Pavanwas not re-nominated by the party which instead focused on Nicola Finco, vice-president of the Regional Council and, unheard of, who presents himself supported by Forza Italia and civic lists. Fratelli d’Italia, however, has made him and will vote for the outgoing mayor Pavan together with Coraggio Italia of mayor Brugnaro. To complete the picture he is missing, Luigi Brugnaro. What will the mayor of Venice whose mandate, what a coincidence, will end with the next regional elections, do? “Mayor Brugnaro – explains a Venetian source – is already active, he surprisingly appeared and marched at the Alpine troops’ rally in Vicenza, a sign given that he had not participated since 2017. He is a great entrepreneur, he has his own financial resources for the possible electoral campaign, he is a moderate and could be the right man if the center-right does not find a common candidate. But he has a little problem…”. Which? “He doesn’t answer to anyone, he respects everyone from the centre-right but no leader could remotely control him and make him do things he doesn’t want, he would do everything on his own”. It could actually be a problem.