Top dog shd name premier candidate (3)

(ANSA) - Rome, October 17 - Whoever emerges as top dog on the centre right after the next general election should name the coalition's premier candidate, former premier and Forza Italia (FI) leader Silvio Berlusconi said Tuesday.
    "Whoever gets more votes expresses the premier" Berlusconi told Corriere della Sera newspaper.
    His ally, Notthern League (LN) leader Matteo Salvini, responded by saying: "perfect, that's how democracy works".
    LN is currently polling slightly ahead of FI in most opinion polls, at about 13.6% to 13.4%.
    The next general election is expected in March. Polls say a centre-right alliance would come out on top but not get a majority.
    FI is a centre-right party that belongs to the European People's Party (EPP) caucus.
    The anti-euro, anti-immigrant LN belongs to the rightwing euroskeptic and nationalist Europe of Nations and Freedom (ENL) caucus featuring France's Front National, Britain's UKIP, Alternative for Germany Austria's and the Freedom Parties of Netherlands and Austria.
    In Italy, FI and FN are set to run in a coalition along with the rightist Brothers of Italy (FdI) party led by Giorgia Meloni.
    photo: Berlusconi (L) with Salvini and Meloni in 2015