Berlusconi ‘to support’ Lega leader as Italy PM

Silvio Berlusconi will support the leader of Italy’s Euroskeptic partner Lega Nord in attempts to form a government, the former prime minister said. The four parties in the center-right coalition agreed during the campaign that the leader of the party that won the most votes would head a government, according to Reuters. In a personal defeat for Berlusconi, the far-right Lega surpassed his Forza Italia (FI) party in Sunday’s elections. Lega won about 17 percent of the vote to 14 percent for FI. “In full respect of our agreements, we will now loyally support attempts by [Matteo] Salvini to form a government,” Berlusconi told Corriere della Sera on Wednesday. The vote produced a hung parliament, with Lega and the anti-establishment Five Star Movement both saying the president should name their own leaders as prime minister.