Extraordinary congress announcement

Matteo Salvini addressed party members on the Pontida meadow on 20 September 2026, announcing plans to convene the party federal council in Milan to organize an extraordinary party congress in October. Addressing rising friction from northern regionalists, Salvini stated that he would seek a direct mandate from delegates by a show of hands. He noted that he questions his leadership daily and remains prepared to test whether he still retains the confidence of the party base. Salvini warned that any public dissent following the vote would harm grassroots militants and assist political rivals on the left. Massimiliano Romeo, the Lega group leader in the Senate, said northern representatives did not anticipate the announcement and will evaluate potential alternative leadership bids in the coming days.

“I will convene the federal council of the Lega and propose in October to call an extraordinary congress of the Lega to decide together and march united.”

Memorial tribute to Umberto Bossi

The annual gathering was the first since the death of party founder Umberto Bossi on 19 March 2026. Organizers formally dedicated the Pontida meadow to Bossi, unveiling a plaque honoring the man who first gave voice to his people and pride to his land, decorated with the Sole delle Alpi and Alberto da Giussano emblems. Alessandro Morelli opened the stage proceedings with a video tribute before tenor Davide Pastorino sang Va, pensiero. On 19 September, which would have marked Bossi's 85th birthday, co-founder Giuseppe Leoni and Roberto Calderoli planted an olive tree near the abbey where Bossi's funeral took place on 22 March, watering it from an original ampoule filled at the Po River spring on Monviso.

Northern autonomy and Milan mayoral endorsement

Internal debates centered on the balance between traditional northern autonomy and the national sovereignist orientation promoted by party leadership. Luca Zaia, the president of Veneto, insisted that northern industrial regions require targeted economic support as the locomotive of the Italian economy. Salvini countered that regional autonomy in Lombardy must be defended against European Union regulations through nationalist alliances across Europe. During his address, Salvini also delivered a formal endorsement of Silvia Sardone as the unified center-right candidate for mayor of Milan, pledging to defeat the incumbent left-wing municipal administration in the upcoming municipal elections.

“The southern issue must be resolved, but there is also a northern issue because the North is the locomotive of Italy and needs answers, otherwise this country will end up in a bad way.”

Media confrontation and delegate reactions

Salvini took the stage in a white shirt to five minutes of applause from delegates, while organizer Eugenio Zoffili led crowd chants and a light aircraft flew overhead displaying a banner supporting the leader. Youth delegations at the campsite voiced slogans demanding regional autonomy for Veneto alongside remigration policies. Confronting news coverage from outlets including Il Foglio and La Repubblica, Salvini rejected assertions that the Pontida meadow was empty and condemned articles that described the gathered militants as mercenaries. Salvini concluded that internal party disputes belong in local branches rather than television studios, ahead of the federal council meeting scheduled in Milan for 21 September.