Centre-right Forza Italia (FI)
leader and three-time ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi on Friday met
anti-migrant Euroskeptic League party leader and former interior
minister Matteo Salvini in the media magnate's Milan house.
Salvini had announced the meeting during a protest against
the new 5-Star-Democratic Party (M5S-PD) government outside the
House on Monday.
The government was formed after Salvini pulled the plug on a
14-month M5S-League government to try to take advantage of high
poll numbers in a snap election, never thinking the M5S and the
PD would get together.
Among the points on Salvini and Berluscon's agenda was "the
coordination talks for the oppositions", sources said.
Also to be discussed are regional elections in Umbria next
month where the centre right including FI and the League will
run together in support of the League mayor of Montefalco,
Donatella Tesei.
Berlusconi will campaign in Umbria as well as Salvini.
The League leader has said he will return to the central
Italian region next week.
FI and the League, formerly the Northern League, are allies
in ruling most of Italy's regions.
They were also allies in parliament until the League got
Berlusconi's permission to join the anti-establishment 5-Star
Movement (M5S) for the government that ended when Salvini
brought it down asking for "full powers" from the Italian people
on August 8.
Also running for the centre right is the far-right Brothers
of Italy (FdI) party of Giorgia Meloni.
FI said after Friday's meeting that Berlusconi and Salvini
had a "cordial meeting" and agreed to "form a common front for
an effective opposition to the new government".
Berlusconi said "everything Ok. It went well, we are in full
harmony.
"We talked a little bit about everything, about the
opposition, it all went well".
The League has surged past FI as top dog on the right as
Salvini turned it into a nationwide force and adopted tough and
popular anti-migrant, anti-Roma, anti-EU and law and order
stances over the last few years.
When Salvini brought down the government the League was
polling at around 38%. That has since dropped to 33% after his
move backfired.
FI was polling at around 20% as recently as two years ago.
IT is now down to 5-6% and has been overtaken by FdI.
photo: Berlusconi and Salvini in 2015
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