Milan: the Lega insists on a primary to select the candidate. Forza Italia says no

The race for the centre-right’s mayoral candidacy in Milan is becoming more complicated. The League is pushing for a primary and would like Deputy Secretary Silvia Sardone to stand as the coalition’s candidate: ‘Let the people of Milan decide who will be the best mayor to revitalise the city. If the parties cannot manage it, it will be the citizens of all the neighbourhoods, through the primaries, who will make the best choice. We are confident that no one will be afraid to face up to the views and wishes of our voters.”

Primaries are not a viable option for Forza Italia, and Matteo Perego of Cremnago is being put forward – not because he has ‘just a Forza Italia membership card, but because he embodies the Milanese spirit that the city needs – that spirit of renewal but also of understanding’, said the party leader Antonio Tajani. He reiterated: ‘Milan is the city we want to govern’. “I believe that consensus” on the centre-right’s mayoral candidate in Milan “must be reached by the leaders, and each of us must be willing to step forward,” clarified Perego di Cremnago.