Italian President Sergio Mattarella yesterday was to hold a second day of talks aimed at solving the political crisis shaking the nation after the disintegration of the government.
Mattarella was to meet the main parties, including the Five Star Movement (M5S) and League, after the breakdown of their coalition.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte resigned on Tuesday after months of alliance sniping and a bid by League leader and Italian Minister of the Interior Matteo Salvini to force a snap election just 14 months after coming to power.
The government’s migrant policy, promoted by Salvini in particular, and attempts to flout EU budget rules had angered many European leaders.
Mattarella met the leaders of both houses of parliament on Wednesday and has been trying to find a way forward.
The formation of a new coalition, a short-term technocratic government or an early election — more than three years ahead of schedule — are the main options.
A proposed alliance between M5S and the Democratic Party — previously almost unthinkable — appears to be gaining traction, with Democratic leader Nicola Zingaretti saying he is ready to make a deal.
The Democratic Party and M5S have been at each other’s throats for years, but an alliance would see Salvini kicked out of government, a powerful motive for compromise.
Zingaretti has said that his party would back an M5S coalition dependent on five conditions, including a radical shift in Italy’s zero-tolerance policy on migrants crossing the Mediterranean.
He later told La 7 television that he was also against the idea of Conte staying on as prime minister.
M5S would like Conte to remain in place, but did not provide many details, saying it would “wait for the end of consultations.”
In a bid to get a Democratic-M5S alliance off the ground, former Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi has said he will not participate.
Many in the M5S view him as elitist.
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