The move is a formality ahead of a party congress in Milan, as the Lega faces pressure from northern rebels and Vannacci’s new party.Matteo Salvini on Monday resigned as secretary of Italy’s right-wing Lega party, a procedural step that allows him to stand for re-election at an extraordinary congress in Milan on 24 and 25 October.The party said the resignation, along with that of deputy secretaries Claudio Durigon, Silvia Sardone and Alberto Stefani, had long been agreed and was required to hold an elective congress. The deputy posts are now vacant.  Party treasurer Alberto Di Rubba has been named commissioner and will act as leader until the congress. Lower house speaker Lorenzo Fontana will preside over the event, which will be held at the Allianz MiCo. Salvini remains deputy prime minister and transport minister.   Why he resigned Salvini announced the congress in September at the party’s annual Pontida rally. The resignation is seen as a symbolic bid to strengthen his mandate ahead of the 2027 general election after a period in which his leadership has been heavily questioned, including in the north of Italy and by senior party figures.   He is expected to be the only candidate. Salvini has led the Lega since December 2013. He was re-elected last year in Florence for a term running to 2029. Challenges from within and outside The main internal challenge comes from a bloc of regional governors in the party's northern stronghold, including Attilio Fontana (Lombardia), Massimiliano Fedriga (Friuli-Venezia Giulia), Maurizio Fugatti (Trento) and former Veneto governor Luca Zaia. They have pushed for months for a revival of the “northern question” and a federal structure modelled on Germany’s CDU/CSU.   Newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore reports that they are unlikely to field a rival candidate, not least because the delegates are largely loyal to Salvini. Fedriga said it was not certain the governors would table a motion. Salvini insisted there were “no dissidents”.   Externally, the party faces a challenge from Roberto Vannacci who left the Lega earlier this year to found his own far-right party Futuro Nazionale. An Emg poll for Tg3 last week put the Lega at 7.5 per cent, ahead of Futuro Nazionale at 6.5 per cent. New logo and political secretariat Salvini also announced a political secretariat, which he said would “share honours and burdens”, responding to calls for more collegial decision-making. Details have yet to be finalised.   In addition, he said the party emblem would be updated “because the world is changing”. This could mean dropping the “Salvini premier” wording, partly because Italy’s new electoral law requires parties to name their candidate for prime minister. Salvini said both matters would be discussed at the congress.   Delegates will vote on the party leadership in Milan on 24 and 25 October and discuss its organisation and political line. Photo credit: Marco Iacobucci Epp / Shutterstock.com

Photo credit: Marco Iacobucci Epp / Shutterstock.com