Author: MAXIME SCHLEE
Posted on: Politico.eu | April 4th, 2018
Populist 5Star Movement leader also called for a German-style government contract.
Luigi Di Maio, the leader of Italy’s 5Star Movement, has said the party is open to talks with the country’s center-left Democratic party (PD) and the far-right League but ruled out the possibility of governing with Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia, ahead of formal consultations set to begin Wednesday.
“[Far-right League leader Matteo] Salvini needs to choose between the revolution and the restoration, whether to abandon Berlusconi and start to change Italy or remain attached to Berlusconi and not change anything,” Di Maio said in an interview with Italian broadcaster La7 late on Tuesday.
The right-wing alliance between Salvini’s League and Berlusconi’s Forza Italia won the most seats in last month’s election, followed by Di Maio’s 5Stars, which commands the biggest single part in parliament. The inconclusive election resulted in a hung parliament, with no group able to govern alone.
Salvini has so far refused to break with his coalition partner, and the PD has followed the hard line set out by Matteo Renzi — before his resignation as party leader after the election — to exclude the possibility of a deal with the 5Stars, a move Di Maio called “irresponsible.”
Instead of focusing on alliances and coalitions, Di Maio also said he would propose parties form a government contract “like they have in Germany.” “The interest of the country is at stake. Let’s sit down around the table, decide the things to do with a government contract, sign it in front of the Italians, and change the country,” he said. Italian President Sergio Mattarella will meet with party leaders Wednesday and Thursday to hear their proposals for forming a government.
the SAFIA Blog 