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WORLD NEWS Monday 16 SepteMber 2019
Italian hard-liner Salvini vows to return League to power

By COLLEEN BARRY one-time enemy, the cen- and recent shift in Salvini
Associated Press ter-left Democratic Party. when he acknowledged
PONTIDA, Italy (AP) — They branded Premier Gi- that the new government
Down but not out, Matteo useppe Conte, head of is formally legitimate under
Salvini pledged Sunday to both governments, a trai- the parliamentary system.
tens of thousands of die- tor. D'Alimonte said the posi-
hard backers of his populist Luca Carminati, a laborer tion indicated "he wants to
League that he will return from nearby Bergamo, said play by the rules," though it
to power stronger than be- he switched from voting remains to be seen if that
fore, as he seeks to rebound for the center-right to the sticks.
from a grave political mis- League five years ago. He Salvini needs to demon-
calculation that pushed his said he has seen his boss strate even more profound
party from government. struggling to keep a small change if he wants to re-
"I'd rather concede seven business afloat in the face turn to power, said analyst
ministry posts to traitors now of high taxation and bu- Stefano Folli of La Repubbli-
that we will win back with reaucracy. ca. His political stumble has
interest and transparency "I like Salvini because he is challenged his image as "a
in a few months," Salvini the only one that fights the winner," and his association
told an annual pilgrimage idea of a European Union, with extreme-right parties Leader of The League party, Matteo Salvini, speaks at a party's
of cheering, banner-wav- which I do not support, be- in France and Germany rally in Pontida, northern Italy, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2019.
ing League voters to a foot- cause I believe the Europe- has flagged him a threat Associated Press
hill Lombard town with long an bureaucrats do not do to Europe. "Salvini is an ex-
historical associations to Italy any good," Carminati treme-right danger that Eu- "If he can change — which comes an element of the
nationalist movements. said. Salvini "is trying to give rope cannot accept. If he requires a deep cultural conservative right in the Eu-
This year's gathering took value to the Italian people maintains that position, he shift and a complicated ropean dynamic, he could
on additional significance again." finishes his story," Folli said. political journey — and be- return to government."q
as Salvini whips up his During his speech Salvini
base in opposition to the muted his often-fiery tones,
new 5-Star-Democratic urging supporters to be pa-
Party government that tient and polite in their po-
took office this month af- litical discourse. This came
ter his failed move to force after a League lawmaker
new elections landed the from Veneto drew fire for
League as the head of insulting Italy's president a
Italy's opposition and de- day earlier. Still, speakers
prived him of his bully pul- who took the stage before
pit as the hard-line anti-mi- Salvini spoke of revolution
grant interior minister. and resistance, and the
"I expect (Salvini) will con- rank-and-file verbally at-
tinue to be an effective tacked Italian leftist jour-
force because the issues nalist Gad Lerner, who was
he gained credibility for flanked by police body-
— migration, taxes and guards. Lerner has often
security — remain salient," clashed with Salvini.
said Roberto D'Alimonte, Salvini also hit a euro-skep-
a political science profes- tic note as he warned Ita-
sor at Rome's LUISS Uni- ly's European allies in shaky
versity. "And if the (new) French, German and Eng-
government does not ad- lish that "the Italian people
dress these issues, Salvini's are no one's servant."
strength will remain pretty Speaking to his base, Sal-
much the same." vini said he would make a
The League remains the long-sought flat-tax of 15%
most popular party in Italy, a priority if he lands back
and the League voters at- in government and that in
tending the Pontida pilgrim- the meantime he would
age made clear they were take the fight against mi-
behind their "captain." gration to the level of local
Many in the crowd placed and regional governments,
the blame for Salvini's fate where the League has
on the grassroots 5-Star long prospered. He railed
Movement for quickly against Islam, burqas and
realigning itself from its pressed for more regional
League coalition to form a autonomy from Rome.
new government with the D'Alimonte noted a subtle

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