Senator Francesco Silvestro left Forza Italia and joined the League on 10 November 2026, according to reports from Il Mattino Napoli and ANSA.
Silvestro presented the decision as a political choice linked to the League's national project and to his assessment that his room for political action inside Forza Italia had narrowed. ANSA reported that Silvestro said he had been convinced by the project of Matteo Salvini.
The move ends almost thirty years of membership in Forza Italia, as reported by Il Mattino in its companion coverage of the switch.
Castiello welcomes the move
Giuseppina Castiello welcomed Silvestro's decision publicly. She described his arrival as a source of satisfaction for the League in Campania and as added value for the party.
In her comments, reported by Il Mattino, Castiello presented the decision as confirmation of the League's ability to attract experienced political figures and as a reinforcement of the party's team in Campania. Those descriptions are her political assessment of the announcement, not a separate institutional finding.
Resignations from Forza Italia posts
Silvestro formalized his resignation from the positions he held in Forza Italia, including his role as provincial secretary in Naples and his role in the national secretariat.
The reports place the decision in the context of tensions within Forza Italia in Campania, including tensions between Silvestro and regional coordinator Fulvio Martusciello. Il Mattino linked the switch to that internal dispute and to Silvestro's statement that the conditions for remaining had changed.
Reaction from the League in Campania
Gianpiero Zinzi, the League's regional coordinator in Campania, welcomed Silvestro on behalf of the regional party.
The available research does not treat reports about other local administrators possibly following Silvestro as established facts.
What is confirmed so far
What is documented in the supplied reporting is the political announcement: Silvestro's stated departure from Forza Italia, his stated adhesion to the League, Castiello's positive public response, and Zinzi's welcome.
The research does not include a separate parliamentary document from the Senate formally confirming the change of Senate group. Readers should therefore distinguish between the reported political announcement and formal institutional confirmation, which was not part of the material reviewed for this article.