Liguria, the strong elections do not calm the confrontation between Toti and the League. Il Carroccio is left behind, the governor intends to remove councilors from him

The reasons for getting along would be: elections overwhelmed, the award-winning five-year government, a good result for all the souls in the coalition. But it is from the afternoon of September 21 that Giovanni toti and the League I do not agree. Reason? the boom in consensus from the governor’s list, capable of starting a domino effect of discontent and resentment among the allies.

Let’s start at the beginning: with an unexpected exploit the list “Let’s change for Toti president” play the 2. 3% of votes in Liguria, by electing 8 directors. To all the detriment of Matteo salvini who was aiming for first place here and had to settle for third – stopped at 17%, La Liga also finished behind P.S and will send 6 elected members to the Council. Not bad, sure, but now the Carroccio – which in 2015 was the first list of the center-right – is in position of service with respect to the Totians. Properly proportioned, the balance of forces resembles that of Veneto, where the governor’s list Zaia has won accolades from the match three times. This explains the absence of the major leagues at the Piazza De Ferrari party: the setback was too strong for a denouement that did not live up to expectations. Missing in particular Edoardo Rixi, Salvini’s lieutenant in Liguria, who will arrive at the governor only late at night.

Not only that: not even two days later, Toti continues to wave the knife and in a controversial interview with Messenger Service accuses the ally of inability to manage the coalition. “Matteo could be the architect of the center-right, but at the moment I don’t know if he has any project,” he answers the question of whether Salvini is still the leader. “He focuses only on his battles, he goes alone. He does not listen to those who love him. And by dint of giving shoulders, he ends up remedying one dislocation after another. ” The re-elected president even gives strategic advice (“You have to make your victories, as you did well Berlusconi“) And he stigmatizes the lack of enthusiasm on the part of the League in the post-vote:” I expected smiles and toasts, not the long faces These days. “Words that must sound mocking to the ears of the Ligurian militants, especially since the Lega was decisive in the birth of Toti’s two candidacies. In 2015 it was Rixi, already appointed for the race, who took a step back , while recently Salvini was the main sponsor of the reconfirmation, defying the reluctance of Go Italy.

And it is Rixi himself who a few hours later comments on the interview with poisonous phrases: “One media slip fruit of the lack of clarity after the electoral drunkenness. I hope Toti comes to his senses and recovers his memory, remembering that without the League and without Matteo Salvini he would not be where he is today ”. In fact, many, even in circles close to the governor, believe these statements “drugged” by enthusiasm for the result. Which could lead him to once again cultivate ambitions as a national leader, such as those for which he left Forza Italia in August last year to found the new entity. “Let’s change!” it soon fell into oblivion, only to reappear as the opener in the Ligurian Regionals. And perhaps it is no coincidence that the affiliation campaign that had been abandoned for months has reappeared on the movement’s Facebook page: Salvini’s difficulties would have pushed Toti, on the wave of local consensus, to try to establish itself as a point of reference for moderates . With Mara Carfagna, the other former daughter of Berlusconi who has already issued the manifesto: “The center-right is at a crossroads, it can continue to persecute the sovereign project based on damaging criticism of Europe or admitting that the golden five-year period of populism is over, “he declared in an interview with morning.

However, for the future of the alliance in Liguria, the game of the new council will be central. The League claims the same package as evaluators Outgoing: 3 of 7, including Vice President. But Toti is determined to make the new balances weigh and will insist on limiting the members of the Northern League to two, perhaps offering in exchange the presidency of the Regional Council. In particular, the governor wants the department of Health, until now in the hands of the Northern League Sonia Viale (which is outside the Council and will not be reconfirmed). In a first phase, the delegation was able to stay with Toti himself, assisted by Matteo bassetti, the head of Infectious Diseases of San Martino who dedicated words of honey to reelection (“Voters have recognized the goodness of the elections in this administration”). But be careful: if the rope is stretched too tight, the relationship between government partners runs the risk of exhausting. With unpredictable prospects.

Twitter: @paolofrosina