Berlusconi in pact with rightwing League
2013-01-07 16:00
Rome - Italy's former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi
said on Monday he had reached an agreement with the Northern League to run
together in elections in February and that he wanted to be economy minister in
a future centre-right government.
Berlusconi told an Italian radio station that he had
struck the deal with Roberto Maroni, leader of the regionalist League, which
was coalition partner in his last government.
According to the agreement, Berlusconi's People of
Freedom (PDL) party would support Maroni's candidacy for president of the
northern region of Lombardy as part of a global deal.
He did not give other details of the accord but said he
would be the "leader of moderates" in a centre-right coalition with
the League.
The League supports stringent policies on immigration and
favours giving more power and autonomy to Italy's 20 regions.
It particularly wants more of the tax revenue that now goes
to the national government to go directly to the regions, saying that the rich
north is picking up the tab for a south it sees as corrupt and economically
sluggish.
Maroni was holding a news conference later on Monday.
Berlusconi, who left office in November 2011 to make way
for a technocrat government led by Mario Monti, said it was still not certain
who would be prime minister in a centre-right government.
"We will decide if we win," he said, adding
that he would prefer to be the economy minister and that mostly likely PDL
secretary Angelino Alfano would be the prime minister.
An opinion poll published on Sunday suggested an alliance
between the PDL and the League could pull in about 28% of the vote.
A centre-left coalition led by Pier Luigi Bersani of the
Democratic Party would win between 38 and 39%, the poll found.
Monti's centrist bloc would get between 14 and 15%, it
said.
Berlusconi, who supported Monti's government until last
month, attacked him for re-introducing a much-hated property tax on primary
residences and promised to reduce income taxes.
Both Berlusconi and Monti have been making numerous
appearances on television and radio ahead of the 24 - 25 February elections.
