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Five Star Movement and right-wing coalition grapple over who will lead Italy

The two sides battling for power in Italy on Sunday made clear that negotiations for a new government will start from scratch, despite reaching a deal over parliamentary speakers.

Published: 26 March 2018 11:30 CEST
Five Star Movement and right-wing coalition grapple over who will lead Italy
M5S leader Luigi Di Maio reckons he's the man for the job. Photo: AFP

Saturday's agreement between the right-wing coalition and the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) will allow them to begin consultations with Italian President Sergio Mattarella over who will lead the new government.

In an interview on Sunday in the Corriere della Sera, M5S leader Luigi Di Maio said “the match” to see who will win power was in no way related to the battle of parliament speakers.

“But starting today, those who want to work for the people know that there is a reliable and serious force who will talk with everyone and advance together for the good of the country,” he added.

He claims M5S' right to lead the country after it secured 32.6 percent of votes in the lower house, the largest of any single party, after campaigning to cut taxes, amend pension reforms and improve youth unemployment.

However, a right-wing coalition led by Matteo Salvini, which includes former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, together secured 37 percent.

“The next head of government needs to be proposed by the right,” Salvini declared on Twitter on Sunday.

His priorities include the abolition of pension reforms and lowering taxes as well as a revision of European treaties and the eviction of illegal immigrants.

On Saturday, an agreement between the two sides saw a member of the Five Star Movement, Roberto Fico, elected speaker of the lower house, the Chamber of Deputies.

In return, Elisabetta Alberti Casellati, a Forza Italia member, was voted head of the upper house, the Senate.

Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, who led Italy's previous centre-left government, meanwhile, officially tendered his resignation.

He will continue to manage the day-to-day affairs of the government until a new one was formed, the presidency said in a statement.

READ MORE about the post-election wrangling in our Politics section

ACROSS EUROPE

German, Italian and Austrian presidents make joint call for strong Europe

The presidents of Germany, Italy and Austria called for a strong and united Europe in a joint letter published over the weekend ahead of June's European elections.

Published: 13 May 2024 09:50 CEST
German, Italian and Austrian presidents make joint call for strong Europe

The joint letter was carried in the Italian daily Corriere della Sera a month before the June 6-9 elections, where far-right parties are expected to do well.

“We see that the fundamental values—our values—of pluralism, human rights, and the Rule of Law are being challenged, if not openly threatened, all over the world,” wrote the three leaders.

“At stake here is none other than the foundations of our democratic order.”

Although they all hold largely ceremonial roles, the presidents are all tasked with ensuring respect for their countries’ constitutions.

“It is therefore essential to defend democratic institutions and values, the guarantees of freedom, the independence of the media, the role of democratic political oppositions, the separation of powers, the value of limits to the exercise of power,” wrote Italy’s Sergio Mattarella, Germany’s Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Austria’s Alexander van der Bellen.

In Italy, the far-right Brothers of Italy party is in first place and credited with 27 percent in polls — while in Germany, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) is at 15 percent in second place behind the main centre-right party.

In Austria, The Freedom Party (FPO) is also expected to make gains.

While Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni — head of the Brothers of Italy — is staunchly pro-NATO and pro-Kyiv, other far-right parties such Matteo Salvini’s League and Marine Le Pen’s National Rally in France are accused of being pro-Russian.

The three presidents said more European unity was necessary to confront those “who question basic democratic principles”.

“Our liberal democratic order is deeply intertwined with the unification of Europe: by anchoring ourselves to a European community of values and legal norms, we have presented to the world a coexistence based on democratic order and peace,” they said.

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