La Russa: 'Trouble with the wall against the wall, summary for Milan with or without primaries'

"It would be wrong to close immediately, as usual the centre-right will find a synthesis with or without primaries, I'm not ruling anything out, woe betide going toe-to-toe, we didn't ask for primaries but if an important party in the coalition, especially in Milan like the League, asks for them, I'm not saying that they need to be held, I'm saying that you can't say then it will go away on its own, that's wrong." Thus the President of the Senate Ignazio La Russa was asked on the sidelines of the Festa del Foglio in Florence on the position taken by Forza Italia.

"If we were to hold primaries in Milan, it is clear that at that point they are held everywhere. It cannot be a patchwork method. Having said that, if we were not to find a solution and the League wanted to run alone, we would be re-doing the old Pole of Freedom which in the first Albertini government won in Milan even without the League. It would not be a tragedy." Thus the Lombard secretary of Forza Italia, the deputy Alessandro Sorte, replying on the sidelines of a party event in Milan to Matteo Salvini's proposal to hold primaries for Milan.

"It is sincerely sorry to read the statements of our friend Alessandro Sorte on possible solo races in Milan or re-enactments of the past which only risk playing into the hands of the left. For the League, the value of centre-right unity is non-negotiable: our coalition wins, convinces and governs well when it presents itself as compact, determined and with a clear and shared project for the city". Samuele Piscina, provincial secretary of the League in Milan and city councilor, declared this in a note, replying to the Lombard coordinator of Forza Italia, Alessandro Sorte.