Meloni-Salvini 'in full agreement' after No to von der Leyen

(ANSA) - ROME, JUL 19 - Deputy Premier and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini said Friday that he was in "total agreement" with Premier Giorgia Meloni after MEPs from both his League party and her Brothers of Italy (FdI) voted against European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's re-election on Thursday.
    "I'm happy about the League-Brothers of Italy unity," said Salvini, adding that he had been texting the premier.
    On Thursday Salvini said von der Leyen's re-election was the result of "yet another shady deal" and he repeated his dissatisfaction with it on Friday.
    "(It was) a big power agreement on sharing the spoils, based on economic interests, that is a slap in the face of democracy," he told Radio Libertà.
    "Many voters voted for a change, but instead there is an imbalance, with a shift to the Left.
    "Yesterday was a negative day, economically and democratically".
    The other main partner in Meloni's governing coalition, Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani's centre-right Forza Italia, voted in favour of von der Leyen getting a second term at the helm of the EU executive. (ANSA).