Berlusconi Coalition Shows Cracks as Leaders Skip Unity Rally
- Center-right tensions fuel scenario of political uncertainty
- Third coalition party sought pledge not to split after vote
This article is for subscribers only.
Silvio Berlusconi’s center-right coalition feuded with itself over who should be prime minister and whether the parties would stick together after Italy’s March 4 election, with both the ex-premier and his key ally snubbing a rally that had been billed as a show of unity.
Just two weeks before the vote, Berlusconi and Matteo Salvini, leader of the anti-migrant and euroskeptic League, both failed to show up at an event in Rome Sunday at which they had been invited to sign a pledge to remain faithful to their alliance after the ballot.