Overview
- The Lega congress opened this weekend in Milan with Matteo Salvini challenged by Massimo Garavaglia in a contest that has exposed visible party tensions.
- Garavaglia said he struggled to collect the 80–120 endorsement signatures required to run and urged open voting booths to prevent doubts about ballot secrecy.
- Salvini publicly rebutted Garavaglia's claim that he was unreachable, saying they spoke by phone for more than 15 minutes before the congress.
- Reports and party sources say Salvini's backers amassed far more than the 120-signature maximum, a procedural issue that could trigger formal complaints or disputes.
- Longstanding northern dissent behind figures such as Attilio Fontana and others frames this vote as a gauge of whether Salvini can stitch the party back together or whether regional critics will register meaningful dissent.