Giorgia Meloni attacks the "left, marginalized by its arrogance," and reiterates that the referendum on justice will certainly not decide her fate, because it will come "at the end of the legislature" and then "only Italians can send me home." Matteo Salvini, on the other hand, harps on the issue of security, announcing that he is working on an ad hoc decree, and dusts off his old anti-migrant tone: "Out with anyone who doesn't respect our culture, our symbols, our religion, and our constitution." Meanwhile, Antonio Tajani takes aim at the center-right's opponent in Puglia: "Decaro means Emiliano. Emiliano means Decaro. So nothing changes; we'd just carry on as things are today, which don't work."

Before the leaders, on the stage at Bari's Teatro Team (2,000 seats, sold out, with two giant screens for those left out), the government majority's frontrunner, entrepreneur Luigi Lobuono, took to the stage. Two weeks before the November 23-24 elections, he showed no signs of hiding his emotion, claiming to have been "born on January 15th, like Meloni," and reiterating his programmatic promises: "200,000 jobs in 24 months," reviving a "dismantled" healthcare system, and, in short, "getting Puglia moving like... I can't say a Ferrari, but let's say a McLaren."

These are, after all, tough times for the Maranello reds. And the center-right is certainly not starting from pole position, seeing the challenge as complex but not a foregone conclusion. It is primarily focused on reawakening those who typically abstain (about 40% in this region), considered a veritable "third pole." Who wins is decided by "those who stay at home," but "those who don't vote for five years shouldn't be a pain in the ass if things don't work out," is the summary of Salvini, who has allied himself with the UDC and the New Socialist Party and hopes to give the League "the best result in its history in Puglia." Healthcare is at the forefront of the agenda, and Meloni (who sparked a standing ovation by quoting Pinuccio Tatarella) announced progress in reducing waiting lists, "1.3 million more procedures," with the prospect of exceeding "over 2 million" by the end of the year.