"Yesterday I had a long meeting with Salvini, and we agree on everything: We will continue together in order to arrive at the next elections with a united center-right force," he was quoted as saying by the Italian Askanews agency in a phone address to his supporters in Turin.
There has been a lot of talk lately about a new form of cooperation between the two parties, although their leaders differ on the format. Berlusconi insists on a united party resembling the US Republicans, while Salvini proposes a "federation."
The Democratic Party continues to lead in the opinion polls. An Ipsos survey found in June that the center-left party was supported by 20.8% of voters, followed by Lega with 20.1% and Forza Italia with 9.2%.
