Centre ground belongs to Forza Italia says Tajani

(ANSA) - ROME, JUL 20 - Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Saturday that his Forza Italia (FI) party had succeeded in becoming the dominant force in the centre of Italy's political arena.
    "A poll done after the vote (for the new European Parliament) says Forza Italia is the only centre-right party growing (in popularity)," Tajani said at the 'Anuman2024' event in Tolfa, near Rome.
    "The Italians say we have taken the right path.
    "We are pursuing the target of expanding our level of support to reach 20% at the next general election," added the the former European Parliament President, who took the helm of FI after founder and ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi died last year.
    "I don't usually make bombastic comments, but if I set a goal, I achieve it".
    FI won around 9.6% of the vote in June's European elections, up from just over 8% in the 2022 Italian general election.
    FI was the only one of the three main parties in Premier Giorgia Meloni's government to have its MEPs vote in favour of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's re-election this week.
    The MEPs for Meloni's Brothers of Italy (FdI) party and for Deputy Premier and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini's League both voted against.
    FI belongs to von der Leyen's centre-right European People's Party (EPP) and on Saturday Tajani reiterated his assertion that parties in groups that are outside the ruling European coalition risk being "irrelevant" at the EU level.
    (see related political stories). (ANSA).