Overview

• Senior Leghisti including Attilio Fontana, Gian Marco Centinaio, Luca Zaia and Massimiliano Fedriga publicly pressed Roberto Vannacci to respect party rules after his call to “vannaccizzare” the Lega and remarks preferring Vladimir Putin to Volodymyr Zelensky.
• Salvini urged the party to focus on work and unity, called Vannacci “a value added,” and said all the major figures will be on stage at Pontida on 21 September.
• Candidate and list disputes remain unresolved, with Tuscany highlighted as a flashpoint where former goalkeeper Giovanni Galli declined to run after not securing the top slot in Florence.
• Salvini is pushing Alberto Stefani as the Lega’s pick for the Veneto governorship, with coalition talks still to settle slates in multiple regions.
• Vannacci says he recognizes Salvini’s leadership and denies seeking to replace him, while party sources quoted by la Repubblica describe supporters organizing local “Vannacci Team” groups, reportedly including a dozen in Veneto.