Intercept approximately 800 thousand more votes. It is Matteo Salvini’s bet that he is aiming for at the European Championships Roberto Vannacci to help the League win the derby with Forza Italia and avoid overtaking, even against the doubts of some of his party. There were few welcome messages to the general, who will be a candidate in every constituency, and as the leader in some. The doubts are more explicit. The governor Massimiliano Fedriga, for example, has already announced that he will not vote for him: «I am very happy with the three candidates from Friuli Venezia Giulia and only three preferences are possible». Meanwhile, the League has announced that Vannacci will be leaders in central Italy: «The leader of the League Matteo Salvini is in Rome and is working on the lists in view of the European elections: General Roberto Vannacci, whose candidacy has also aroused great interest in worlds outside the party, will be the head of the list in the constituency of his residence, namely the Central Italy”.
Europeans, who is running? From Vannacci to Ilaria Salis, from Capitano Ultimo to Lucia Annunziata: all the challenges to the elections
Crosetto’s comment
Among the allies, Defense Minister Guido Crosetto comments sarcastically: «A win-win choice, as they say. For him, for the League and for the army.” If he is elected, he will have to leave or go on leave. «Crosetto also has a great following in the Armed Forces and in Leonardo – the response to the poison of the Northern League deputy secretary Andrea Crippa -. And since he has so much following, let him run and compete in a difficult and expensive electoral campaign.” «I leave the sarcasm to the minister. It’s his opinion of him, if he thinks this is the case I wouldn’t want to disappoint him”, replies Vannacci, who “for now” is not leaving the army and, if he doesn’t land in Strasbourg, he will decide how to behave later. “I’m not sure I’ll be elected, now the real battle begins”, says the 56-year-old Tuscan, who swears he only untied the knot “3-4 days ago”, sending a whatsapp to Salvini: “He wrote to me that he was happy ». He still has “many commitments made” for the presentation of the new book and, from what we understand, he should soon make some public appearances alongside the secretary.
The other positions in the League
In the meantime, he outlined his priorities: «In Europe, to fight uncontrolled immigration and mend relations with Russia, never again will there be big mistakes such as green passes and compulsory vaccination». «An excellent start. Well done general. Speak clearly right from the start”, the solitary welcome from Claudio Borghi. «It is not a turn to the right – assures Edoardo Rixi -. The League has always nominated people of any political tendency, as long as they are driven by the desire to commit to our country.” Those in the League who consider him “a parachutist who parachuted in” are colder.
Who will vote for him (and who won’t)
Gian Marco Centinaio will not vote for him. «We hope to also nominate someone from the League…», jokes Paolo Grimoldi, coordinator of the Northern Committee created by Umberto Bossi, in the same direction. «These are their problems, to be resolved within the party, for which I don’t have a membership card», cuts short Vannacci, who is running as an “independent” but anticipates that he will be “leader in some constituencies”. When the big leaguers put their doubts on the table in recent weeks, they heard Salvini say that the general has a potential of 800 thousand votes. The equivalent of around 3% if 24 million voted for the 2022 elections.
An even more significant haul if the turnout is low, especially considering that Vannacci, with the editorial success of the book published a year ago, has attracted consensus in a conservative, right-wing world, in the armed forces and anti-vax circles, even among many who have distanced themselves from FdI and Lega in recent years. In recent months he has been defended by former AN colonels such as Francesco Storace (“Long live Salvini and long live Vannacci, certain Northern League members should answer”) and Gianni Alemanno. In the last few hours it has become trending on X, as several times in the past. His Facebook page has over 17 thousand followers, his Instagram page has over 5 thousand. The most relevant figures are those of his first book ‘The world upside down’, over 230 thousand copies sold according to some estimates. The second, ‘Courage wins’, was released recently, published by the same publishing house as Salvini’s biography. ‘The world upside down’ also became a committee of “citizens firmly intent on following up on the contents” of those twelve chapters. Membership costs 30 euros. There are six territorial coordinators for as many macro-regions. It is chaired by Fabio Filomeni, a retired colonel. Among the national coordinators is Norberto De Angelis from Piacenza, a former American football player and Italian Paralympic athlete, with a brief stint in FdI in Parma. Also in the national secretariat are the Calabrians Bruno Spatara, with a past in Forza Nuova, and Vittorio Gigliotti, the soul of the pro-Russian Cantiere Laboratorio.
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