Italy’s former Interior Minister Matteo Salvini on Friday accused European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen of trying to interfere with the country’s electoral process, which went to the polls on September 25 to renew its parliament.
The criticism comes a day after Germans said the European Union had “tools” to react if Italy moved in a “difficult direction” after Sunday’s election. On this occasion, he referred to the cases of Hungary and Poland, which were the target of EU cases for violations of the rule of law.
“This is a miserable threat, an unwanted invasion of territory. This lady represents all Europeans, her salary is paid by all of us,” Salvini, leader of the far-right Liga party, told the TV show “Mattino Cinque”.
“It is the Italians, not the Brussels bureaucrats, who will vote on Sunday. If I were president of the European Commission, I would be worried about the tickets,” the former minister said. According to him, the League will present a motion of no confidence against Von der Leyen.
The statements of the Germans were also ridiculed by the Russian Embassy in Rome. Citing accusations that Moscow wanted to interfere in Italy’s elections to support the far-right, the diplomatic center said on Twitter: “New Russian intervention? No, not Russian…”
Von der Leyen’s speeches were made during a debate in Princeton, USA, and he also said that he would work with “any democratic government” regardless of Brussels’ political orientation at the time.
The head of the EU Executive Board belongs to the European People’s Party (EPP), the same acronym as former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, an ally of Salvini. Alongside far-right MP Giorgia Meloni, the two are part of a favorite coalition to win in Italy, even with the prospect of gaining a large majority in Parliament.
After the debate, a spokesperson for the European Commission said on Friday it was “absolutely clear” that von der Leyen “did not interfere in the Italian elections” and that he was referring to “ongoing procedures in other countries” such as Poland. and Hungary.
source: Noticias
