Comment 4 for bug 854196

$ sudo apt-get install skype:i386
[sudo] password for graingert:
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following extra packages will be installed:
  libasound2:i386 libdbusmenu-qt2:i386
  libxv1:i386 sni-qt:i386
Suggested packages:
  libasound2-plugins:i386
  libasound2-python:i386
The following packages will be REMOVED
  skype
The following NEW packages will be installed
  libasound2:i386 libdbusmenu-qt2:i386
  libxv1:i386 skype:i386 sni-qt:i386
0 upgraded, 5 newly installed, 1 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 24.2 MB of archives.
After this operation, 2,118 kB of additional disk space will be used.
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This is simply not true as I already have libasound2 (x64) and it is _not_ being forced out.

32 bit packages can be installed alongside 64 bit ones. Except in this case.