Political party in Italy
South calls North (Italian: Sud chiama Nord, ScN) is a regionalist and populist political party in Italy, based in Sicily and led by former mayor of Messina Cateno De Luca.[3]
History
In 2007 Cateno De Luca, a former Christian Democrat who had been a member of the Christian Democratic Centre (1994–2002), the Union of the Centre (2002–2005) and the Movement for Autonomy (2005–2008), formed Sicilia Vera, which soon became an independent party.
In June 2022, in the run-up to the Sicilian regional election, De Luca, along with former Five Star Movement MEP Dino Giarrusso, launched "South calls North", as a broader political vehicle than Sicilia Vera.[4] However, after a few weeks, Giarrusso left the party due to conflicts with De Luca with regard to the party's candidatures in the following election and De Luca remained the sole leader.[5]
ScN took part in the 2022 general election, winning one single-member constituency in the Chamber of Deputies with Francesco Gallo, and one in the Senate of the Republic with Dafne Musolino, both from the districts of Messina, where ScN was capable to collect more than 30% of votes.[6][7][8] Contextually, in the 2022 regional election De Luca came second, with 24.0% of the vote, behind the centre-right candidate Renato Schifani,[9] while the affiliated party lists obtained 18.1%, electing eight members of the Sicilian Regional Assembly;[10] upon the formation of parliamentary groups, four councillors elected with ScN formed a distinct parliamentary group named "Sicilia Vera", De Luca's other party.[11]
In March 2023, Laura Castelli, a former leading member of the Five Star Movement joined the party, becoming its spokesperson.[12] In January 2024, Castelli was appointed president of the party.[13]
In September 2023, senator Musolino left the party in order to join Matteo Renzi's Italia Viva.[14]
Ideology
The party has been described as regionalist, autonomist and populist.[15] ScN also supports federalism, advocating for a greater administrative decentralization and greater decision-making power for local administrators. Moreover, the party is also in favor of increasing the powers of the Prime Minister of Italy, comparing this position to a "mayor of Italy",[16] as it is clearly shown in the party's logo under the slogan "De Luca for Mayor of Italy".[17]
