First the thrust (“We have ten names ready for Veneto”), then the recognition (“Luca Zaia it is a heritage”). Finally “Veneto will still be ours”. He did everything alone Matteo Salvini provoking a hornet’s nest of controversies and rejoinders throughout the region, but yesterday, the secretary of the League he had to make the best of a bad situation. The traditional Swg survey on the approval of the regional “governors” it gave an unequivocal result.
Luca Zaia was (and not for the first time) the most popular among the regional presidents, with 70 percent of the votes
There detection was carried out on a sample of 11,589 adults resident in Italy in the period 21 February – 26 April. Zaia remains stable in first place, gaining one percentage point compared to last year. In the ranking of the work of the regional presidents, another “northern” Northern League member, Massimiliano Fedriga of Friuli Venezia Giulia, follows in second place with 64% and Stefano Bonaccini, president of Emilia Romagna (Pd), comes in third with 62%. Following closely behind is Vincenzo De Luca (Campania). The governor of Sicily, Roberto Schifani (Forza Italia), brings up the rear with 27 percent of the vote.
What happens in Veneto after Zaia?
And if the rankings are worth anything, it was precisely on Zaia’s “first place” that she unleashed herself yet another battle over the future of Veneto, with a “question and response” that clarifies the political climate we are experiencing. On the one hand, those who defend the hypothesis (again) of the third mandate, on the other, those who are working hard (read Salvini) to find Zaia’s replacement, and those, finally, above all Fratelli d’Italia would like to count more at Palazzo Balbi aiming for the governor’s chair. And so, as in a “Barletta challenge”, yesterday there were those who fought in a duel. Mario Conte, mayor of Treviso, indicated as a possible candidate for the Region by Salvini himself, immediately tried to tone down: «Talking about alternative names to Luca Zaia – he said – is premature and disrespectful. Having the regional president most loved by Italians is an extraordinary asset for our party. The survey speaks clearly and reports the numbers of an unconditional estimate which is a guarantee of victory. With such a distance of time separating us from the regional elections, I would say that it is better for everyone to continue to focus on their role.” Clear message.
And the third term?
Another member of the Northern League like this makes things worse Paolo Tosato: «Of course, the road is uphill for the third mandate for governors – he says – we’ll see if the scenario changes, but for now we record the no of Fdi, Fi, Pd and M5S. For me we must continue Zaia’s candidacy. Until the vote, expected in 2 years, we must try to insist on third term». A wavelength that also unites the group leader Alberto Villanova (Lega) and his party colleague Sonia Brescacin. Villanova says: «Zaia at 70 percent. The local League still proves to be an impregnable safe of consensus. Someone in Rome must have lost their coffee… The political value of this result cannot be ignored.” Brescacin echoes him: «The plebiscite on Zaia says a lot about how the Venetians and Italians think. A reflection on the third mandate can no longer be postponed. A clear message also to those parliamentarians who believe, wrongly, that Zaia’s era is over.” And Vania Gava, Undersecretary for the Environment, is also happy with Zaia and Fedriga’s result. So is everyone in agreement? No sir.
Fratelli d’Italia takes care of breaking the eggs in the basket
Senator Raffaele Speranzon, deputy group leader of Fdi immediately dots the “i”s: «Honestly, we are not at all sure – he says – that Veneto in 2025 will belong to the League. The European elections will be another important step in understanding the forces, checks and balances also in the Veneto region. Brothers of Italy, not only in Politics, was the first party in Veneto and more than doubled the second of the center-right coalition, the League, and Veneto was the region where we got the highest percentage in all of Italy. And if democracy makes sense, the presidency of Veneto in 2025 will fall to FdI. The numbers speak for themselves. When we get to the heart of the decisions and not just the field of hypotheses, we will see who, in our party, can be candidates. Salvini talks about ten names for the League? I am more content: we have at least half a dozen ready to be Governor.” Men forewarned, means forearmed.
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