Salvini: "Am I mayor of Milan? I’m a minister"

“I’m Milanese, for me Milano it is the most beautiful and most important city in the world and the most innovative. At the moment it is at a standstill and risks becoming a city for the rich, a boutique for those who can afford it. Therefore, returning Milan to all of Italy and first and foremost to the Milanese is fundamental. There are many open games and the goal is to win the next political elections with one Lega in strength. Then to do the mayor there will be time for Milan. If my name comes out I will thank the militants and the Milanese. I am the transport minister for the whole of Italy and we will talk about it again on Monday” at the end of the voting. This was said by the minister and secretary of the League, Matteo Salvinion the sidelines of the party gazebos in Milan, answering those who asked him what he would do if his name emerged as a candidate for the Milan municipal elections from the internal consultations.

“I will propose that the primaries of Lega and of centre-right become a model in all the big cities that go to the vote. If a candidate is found by mutual agreement tomorrow, that’s fine but we can’t get to October with the debate still open”, he added on the sidelines of the gazebos organized by the party in Milan for the choice of the mayoral candidate for Palazzo Marino. “We are trying to encourage the centre-right to move quickly – he further observed -. If the other center-right parties also made an initiative like this, then we would choose the best, if there is a credible name. But the center-right will be united in Milan as in Rome.”

Gazebos in Milan

The leader of the League visits Milan today “as an external observer” i gazebo organized by Carroccio for the choice of the mayoral candidate in view of the challenge for Palazzo Marino. This morning at the market in the Città Studi area, in the afternoon in the centre: “Tomorrow evening we will close the polls and on Monday we will give you the results – he said – It is nice that on a hot weekend in June in 40 squares of the city the League listens to Milan, listens to the Milanese and asks the citizens what the priorities are for the cities”.

Criticisms of the left and citizen issues

Here according to Salvini “the left is making a mistake, the city is more firm, there is the theme of cost of livingZTLs and car parks, so they are two days of listening to then build a program and also listen to who they would like to lead the city. While the left is in the living rooms, we go to the suburbs and the markets”. This initiative “is an opportunity for the centre-right: it’s not like what we claim is the mayor comes out of the Lega gazebos” even if “there are certainly many people in the Lega who could very well be the mayor of Milan tomorrow morning”.

Applications and programs for Milan

And therefore, to those who asked him if Carlo Cottarelli it could be a good name, as believed in Forza Italia, he replied: “I don’t think it’s on the table, no one has proposed it to us. But let’s talk about Milan’s projects, what idea do you have of the suburbs, Bovisa, Gratosoglio, Rogoredo, how do we solve the traffic problems? Where do we make the parking lots, how do we renovate the public housing? I would like to talk about issues.”

Surveys and Vannacci

Then the passage on the former exponent of the League, Roberto Vannacci. “Yesterday I saw a poll where the League is well ahead, so I’ll do the poll next year, in the voting booth, and I’m convinced that the centre-right can win, this centre-right, with the League largely in double figures, so we’ll see each other again next year with pollsters and Euroscopists and we’ll see.” This was stated by the deputy prime minister and secretary of the League, Matteo Salvini, on the sidelines of the party gazebos in Milan, answering a question on the polls that give Futuro Nazionale ahead of the League.

Political relations and security

As for the hypothesis of Vannacci in the coalition, Salvini pointed out: “For the moment he has put himself out, then if he will change his mind. If you repeatedly vote against the government – and we will see how they will vote on the home front – because you want to send him home, then either you change your mind and say ‘I was wrong’ or you cannot vote against the government and ask to join the government. But we will talk about it in a year, at this moment casa e safety are my priorities.”

Piantedosi and the Interior Ministry

“Don’t ask me to comment on the meeting between Piantedosi and Mattarellawhich I know nothing about. Piantedosi is a friend but I don’t know what they honestly said to each other.” He replied by answering a question about the meeting that the President of the Republic had yesterday with the Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi. “On Monday morning I’m going to do an inspection of the works at the Montello barracks, I feel very comfortable where I am”, he said to those who asked him if Piantedosi will remain at the Interior Ministry until the end of his mandate. “We have 100,000 empty houses to rearrange and quickly reassign Italians and foreigners regularly present in difficulty and I think it is an important mission, I dedicate myself to this.”

Concrete issues and budget law

“On Monday – he further noted – we will finally start working on the concrete topics which interest Italians and on which the League has answers to give which are cost of living, security, housing and work. After a few days of debate on the roles, there are representatives of municipalities, provinces, regions and government” at the table and this is the right way to enhance these figures but “it is not an answer to the discussions”.

Comparison with regions and political vision

“I’ll take the example of the budget law that we are going to write in the autumn, knowing what the mayors and regions’ requests are is fundamental” as well as “making a common front in Brussels to prevent us from being robbed of the funds for agriculture, the funds dedicated to the regions”, continued the secretary of the League, for this reason “having a table that represents Veneto, Lombardy and Sicily is important”. Afterwards Salvini reiterated that the table formula “it’s not an answer” to the discussions that have taken place in the party. “It’s not that we respond to a guy who solicits me and therefore I do – continued the deputy prime minister -. Involving all elected officials is absolutely useful, but there are no congresses, statutes, regulations or other things in sight. I question myself every day on my own, we had the congress last year, the mandate lasts four years so in three years we will think about it. I think that the League has the best ruling class in Italian politics, at the level of mayors, governors, ministers and parliamentarians, if we focus only and exclusively on the things to do there is nothing for anyone”, he concluded.