Why did Silvio Berlusconi make different alliances in northern and southern Italy in 1994?

In 1994, Silvio Berlusconi founded the political association Forza Italia to fill the political vacuum created by the collapse of Italy's major parties following widespread corruption scandals. To secure a parliamentary majority under the new electoral law, he formed an ad hoc electoral alliance that was geographically split to accommodate the distinct regional priorities of his partners.1

In the north, Berlusconi allied with the Northern League, a movement that had gained significant support by advocating for federalism, fiscal reform, and protesting against the central government in Rome. Conversely, in the south and in Rome, he allied with the National Alliance, which served as a vehicle for Italian patriotism and supported state subsidies and economic interventionism—positions that were often at odds with the Northern League’s regionalist agenda. By creating these separate, localized alliances, Berlusconi was able to consolidate a right-wing coalition that successfully won a majority in the Chamber of Deputies in the March 1994 election.12