In 641, Emperor Taizong betrothed Princess Wencheng to Songtsan Gambo and granted the title of "Right-Wing General" to the Tubo envoy Lu Tongtsan, making him the first Tubo man to receive an honorific title from the central government.
The prime minister now finds himself in the difficult position of trying to shore up right-wing backing ahead of the next general election in 2015, while trying to maintain his own affinity for more left-wing causes.
And both were front-runners to take over the party's leadership after its then leader, Achille Ochetto, lost the 1994 general election to a right-wing tycoon, Silvio Berlusconi.