Anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) leader Luigi Di Maio on Monday urged anti-migrant Euroskeptic League leader Matteo Salvini to join with him in asking President Sergio Mattarella to call fresh elections in June. "At this point there is no other solution, we have to get back to the polls as soon as possible," Di Maio said, describing a second vote after the inconclusive March 4 general election as a "run-off". "I say to Salvini, let's go together and ask to go to vote and let's have this second round in June, let's let the citizens choose between revolution and restoration". Salvini has on several occasions said he would like a new election in June.
Di Maio was speaking after Democratic Party (PD) ex-leader Matteo Renzi apparently scotched the chance of a PD-M5S government.
The M5S leader said political parties are only thinking of their own interests and this is a "shame". "The M5S worked totally to respect the vote of the citizens.
Since we obtained an extraordinary result but didn't get an absolute majority of seats I never thought it would be easy but I never imagined it would be impossible (to form a government)", he said. "The way in which all the parties are all thinking about their own garden and about posts is disgraceful".
Salvini on Monday said elections in Molise and Friuli showed that he was ready to govern Italy. Showing a photo of the two of spades on a beach, Salvini said on Twitter that Molise voters last Sunday and Friuli voters yesterday had said no to the PD and to the M5S and expressed the wish that the League should govern Italy with its centre-right Forza Italia (FI) ally of ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi.
"After the Molise people, women and men of Friuli also thank the PD for the excellent work done, an say goodbye to (M5S leader Luigi) Di Maio and comrades, THANKS!!!!!" he said ironically, adding "#lets'goandgovern I'm ready!".
Former PD leader Renzi on Sunday scotched a government alliance between the PD and M5S.
Speaking about Di Maio, Renzi said on Italian TV "you can meet Di Maio but you can't vote confidence in a Di Maio government".
Di Maio responded that Renzi had a "boundless ego" and said the PD would "pay" for his decision.
Renzi resigned after leading the PD to its worst-ever showing, 18%, in the inconclusive March 4 general election.
Di Maio has been claiming the premiership after the M5S notched 32% to become Italy's top party.
The centre right alliance of Salvini, who got 17.5%, and Berlusconi, who got 14%, were the top coalition with 37%.
President Mattarella first gave a government-formation exploratory mandate to Senate Speaker Elisabetta Casellati of FI to see if the centre right could team up with the M5S, but the M5S vetoed any government featuring Berlusconi.
When this bid failed, Mattarella then gave a mandate to Lower House Speaker Roberto Fico of the M5S to sound out an M5S-PD alliance.
PD caretaker leader Maurizio Martina has said they should at least talk, but since former premier Renzi still controls most of the party, the PD is now expected to say no at an executive meeting on Thursday.
Martina said Monday it was "impossible to lead the party after what has happened. Martina said Renzi's intervention was "serious". He said "a frank and unequivocal discussion will be needed because it is impossible to lead a party in these conditions," he said, while stressing that "collegiality is always a value".
Berlusconi, for his part, said the result of the Friuli regional election is "one more reason" why Italy should have a centre-right government. "The united centre right confirms itself to be winning and grows its consensus," he said. "This confirms once more that we are not only the first coalition in the country but also the one most in harmony with the humours and needs of the voters. "On the overall political level this is one more reason to entrust the centre right with the leadership of the national government".
He said the vote showed the M5S is "unfit" to govern Italy. The three-time ex-premier and media magnate said "the Italians are swiftly abandoning" the M5S and this "confirms once more that the (M5S) is considered wholly unfit to govern, either a region, or what is more the entire country".
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