Senator Francesco Silvestro has left Forza Italia and joined the Lega, in a move reported on 10 November 2026 that brings the Lega's group in the Senate to 30 members.
Silvestro, a Campania entrepreneur elected with Forza Italia in 2022, had held a provincial leadership role for the party in Naples. Before the switch, he sat in the Forza Italia parliamentary group in Palazzo Madama and had carried out institutional work there, including serving as rapporteur on Senate legislation in 2026.
According to ANSA, Silvestro described the decision as a considered one and said he had been persuaded by Matteo Salvini's national project and by the search for greater political room for action.
The episode appears broader than a single transfer. Corriere Napoli reports that another senator, Salvatore De Rosa, also left Forza Italia's Senate group on the same day, underlining that the shake-up affects the party's representation in Palazzo Madama beyond Silvestro's case.
Why it matters for Campania
The move has a direct Campania dimension. Silvestro was one of Forza Italia's elected representatives from the region and had been associated with its provincial and regional organization in the Naples area. His departure therefore touches both the Senate arithmetic in Rome and the party's local balance in Campania.
What changes in the numbers
The most concrete reported effect is numerical: with Silvestro's arrival, the Lega group in the Senate reaches 30 members. The available sources do not provide an independently verified breakdown of every Senate group after the move, so the wider balance should be read against official Senate records.
What to watch next
Two questions remain open. The first is organizational: the sources report Silvestro's stated reasons but do not establish whether Forza Italia will revise its provincial or regional roles in Campania following his exit.
The second is institutional: the retrieved material does not confirm whether the transfer will lead to changes in committee assignments or other Senate duties for Silvestro. That will depend on the formal enrollment in the Lega group and subsequent parliamentary decisions.
