Italy's far-right League party leader Matteo Salvini on Monday held a "long and cordial" meeting with the Brothers of Italy party chief Giorgio Meloni ahead of his talks with head of state Sergio Mattarella, Adnkronos has learned.
The meeting between Salvini and Meloni was "long and cordial" according to unnamed League party sources.
Meloni's rightwing party has 18 Senator and 32 MPs in the parliament elected in Italy's inconclusive 4 March national election. The League and its prospective coalition partner, the populist Five-Star Movement, would have a sizeable majority of 30 MPs in the lower house of parliament, but their majority in the upper house is slender (6 lawmakers) meaning the support of Brothers of Italy could be key to the passage of legislation.
Mattarella is due to meet Five-Star leader Luigi Di Maio at 17.30 and Salvini at 18.00. The two parties last week hammered out a joint programme of government that includes billions of euros in tax cuts, extra spending on welfare for the poor and a roll-back of pension reforms.
Di Maio and Salvini are due to unveil on Monday their choice of premier to Mattarella for his approval. Neither leader is expected to be the nominee.
Salvini leads the centre-right alliance which includes the League, Brothers of Italy and the conservative Forza Italia party of ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi. The alliance is the biggest political bloc while Five-Star is the largest party in parliament.
