League leader Matteo Salvini on
Wednesday met with Brothers of Italy (FdI) leader Giorgia Meloni
in the FdI's offices at the Lower House where she is reportedly
working on her agenda and government team after she won Sunday's
general election at the helm of a centre-right bloc including
the League and ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia (FI).
After the meeting, a joint FdI and League statement said there
had been "great collaboration and unity of intent" at the
meeting, the first of its kind.
"Both leaders expressed satisfaction for the trust given by the
Italians to the coalition and reaffirmed the great sense of
responsibility that this result entails.
"Meloni and Salvini analysed the situation and priorities and
urgencies on the government's and parliament's agenda, also in
light of the complex situation that Italy is experiencing".
It was the first public meeting between the two since Meloni's
resounding success in the elections put her in pole position to
be tapped as premier by President Sergio Mattarella.
Salvini is facing some quit calls after the League performed
much worse than its rightist partner but most supporters want
him to stay on as League leader.
The League got around 9% of Sunday's vote compared to 26% for
FdI, and 8% for the other party in the bloc, three-time former
premier and media magnate Berlusconi's FI.
At the last Italian elections in 2018 FdI got around 4% while in
2019 the League surged to 34% in the European elections amid
Salvini's popular anti-migrant policies as interior minister.
Salvini is reportedly keen to get back to denying charity
migrant rescue ships ports of call as Meloni's interior
minister, but his position has been weakened by the League's
relatively poor performance in the elections.
Meloni's 'post-Fascist' party surged thanks to remaining in
opposition over the last few years, especially to Mario Draghi's
national-unity government, Italian pollsters say.
It greatly outperformed the League even in the formerly
secessionist party's northern heartlands on Sunday.
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