WILL SABBAGH'S LLEADERSHIP BE CONTESTED?Sabbagh is still the definate face of her party but, because of her own victory, she may not have her position as Chairperson foreverIt seems as if the mentality of the top ULD politicians has changed. A few terms ago, as we may remember, the party, even with all the wings and factions, would unite under the present leader and support them against most opposition, to prove the party's unity, which, with how successful the ULD has been, proved to be a good strategy. However, ever since Sabbagh, the current ULD Chairperson and Prime Minister has contested Simonette, the ex ULD chairperson and Prime Minister, and won with him, a lot has changed, visible on the latest congress, held in the Capital. Another possible motivation for the most prominent figures of the Liberal Democrats to contest Ms Sabbagh in the next election is the fact that apparently, President al-Saladin will not run for another term, which means that the ULD will hold primaries, which are always one of the best ways o headstart one's leadership campaign. However, for that strategy to work, the candidate mustn't win, as the ULD Chairperson may not run for or hold the position of president, according to the party's "constitution".
But that surely won't reduce the number of candidates that may run against the Prime Minister; Sahla Sabbagh has proven to be both a figure that unites the ULD politicians, and that splits them; first of all, the Teals, oof which Sabbagh herself is a member of; although the more moderate radicals agree with her compromise line and consider it an effort of making the ULD more appealing to conservative and centre-left voters, the true teal radicals, represented by Massimo Meir or Vespiano Badia agree that Sabbagh isn't necessarily the best candidate. And with the prior of the top radical teals practically confirming that he will run for the seat, everything is up in the air with this faction.
Massimo Meir has voiced his ambitions to run for the seat of party leader multiple times before, but never as officially as this time.Another interest group that may consider another candidate is the smallest of the three main party wings of the ULD (Teals, or radical capitalists-Centrists, or the moderates-Federalists the, well, federalists) could consider running their own candidate. Although this faction lacks strong figures within the party, with the most notable politician from this faction probably being Gianni Zurawiecki, the deputies whip, it is also by far the most flexible, as, with the umbrella ideology being federalism, it is appealing to many camps, and as such may be a vital endorsement for a candidate that would listen to them.
The two, or three, rather, minor party wings, if we are to count the "minority union" as a proper wing (the minority union unites politicians that are members, or are descendants of members of minorities in Istalia. We must remember that the ULD is by far the most popular party among minorities, with 40% of the party eligible to join this group) may run their own candidates and if they will get enough wind behind them, then they may be successful. Those factions are the conservative-liberals, or just less progressive ULD members, with their faces being the former AI member, Antonio Massa, and grandson of the former president, Mariano Lepera.
Both of the politicians are know to be less progressive than most ULD MPsAlthough they still obviously support things like the right to abortion during the entire pregnacny or LGBTQ+ rightsThen, the other minor factions are the al-Saladin loyalists or the republican-democrats. They are also a big-tent faction, that puts the constitution above everything; they are the only people within the party that support a presidential system; apparently the constant discussions about that frustrated a-Saladin, and made him many enemies within the party, which also motivate him to allegedly not run again. The members of this wing are obviously the two men that headed the president's office; Gentile Horizonte and Andtreatto Ballerini. Ernesto Goa is also considered an al-Saladin loyalist.
al-Saladin obviously has his backers, and they may be very important in the upcoming leadership electionsAbout loyalists; we may not forget about the current Chairperson's loyalists, which include the likes of Elmo Coppola, the Minister of Health and Social Services, and Davide Xhosa, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs. An influential bunch that, if Sabbagh's leadership will indeed be contested, they will indeed be a veritable base of support.
Xhosa, who is slowly becoming the leading Sabbagh loyalist, intead of Coppola, will most likely support the current chairpersonBut then again, there are other loyalists, those that still support the founding fathers of the ULD, the man synonymous with the party, and, alongside Badia, the most prominent young politician of the ULD; the Vespa-Baldassare loyalists. Although Sante Vespa-Baldassare did not announce his intent to run, his name enough would give him a good position, and his potential endorsement could be crucial if the voters will be split enough.
Sante Vespa-Baldassare is the newest Vespa-Baldassare in parliament, serving alongside his Grandfather, who apparently won't run for a next term, and as such, for the first time in 60 years, he won't be an MP, and Sante will be the last Vespa-Baldassare left standing, for now, until Cesare grows up anyway.But then again, we must remember to ask ourselves; will Sabbagh's position really be contested?