Italy's Lega Party Head To Meet With Berlusconi To Discuss Coalition - M5S Leader

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th August, 2019) Matteo Salvini, the leader of Italy's Lega party, is set to meet with former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to forge an alliance in the face of potential snap elections, 5-Star Movement (M5S) leader Luigi Di Maio announced on Tuesday.

Last week, Salvini called for a no-confidence vote in Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, in whose government both he and Di Maio are deputy prime ministers.

"Today or tomorrow, Berlusconi and Salvini will meet at a notary's office to blow the dust off an old alliance," Di Maio said, as quoted by Ansa news agency.

He also accused Salvini of trying to sell out to Berlusconi, citing a similar deal between Berlusconi and Umberto Bossi, one of the previous leaders of Lega.

After the 2018 general election, right-wing Lega and left-wing M5S joined forces, forming a government headed by the politically unaffiliated Giuseppe Conte. While national support for Lega has grown this year, M5S's has been in decline, which has upset a precarious balance between the two parties.