It is crunch time for talks
between Italian political parties aimed at setting up a new
government to avert an early general election.
The leaders of the two main current suitors, the
anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) and the centre-left
Democratic Party (PD), respectively Luigi Di Maio and Nicola
Zingaretti, met at the premier's office Monday evening with the
idea of the last premier, Giuseppe Conte, possibly heading a new
executive one of the main points of contention.
The parties had until seven o'clock Monday evening to give
their "indications" to President Sergio Mattarella.
Mattarella said Monday he would start a fresh round of
consultations with the parties at four o'clock in the afternoon
on Tuesday.
The consultations will last two days, ending with the M5S,
the biggest parliamentary force, at 17:00 on Wednesday,
Mattarella's office said.
On Tuesday Mattarella will phone his predecessor Giorgio
Napolitano, then will receive Senate Speaker Elisabetta
Casellati at 16:00, and House Speaker Roberto Fico at 17:00.
Meetings with the parties will follow, first with the smaller
ones on Tuesday and following with the larger ones on Wednesday
like Brothers of Italy (FdI), Forza Italia (FI), the League and
the Democratic Party (PD), before lastly the M5S.
M5S bigwigs also went into a huddle Monday afternoon while
its caucuses will meet at seven in the evening Tuesday and the
PD said it would hold a meeting of its directorate at six
o'clock Tuesday evening.
PD Senate Whip Andrea Marcucci said there was no veto on
caretaker premier Conte staying on at the helm of a new M5S-PD
government, but Zingaretti earlier appeared to contradict this.
"There are no vetoes, we're talking about content", said
Marcucci.
Zingaretti had reiterated earlier that a change is needed in
a government team that could be the fruit of
any deal between the PD and the M5S.
Zingaretti appeared to reiterate his opposition to Conte
taking over at the head of a new M5S-PD executive.
"Discontinuity is needed," he said.
Zingaretti also reiterated that he thought that a
"turning-point" government was needed marking a clear break
from the policies of the previous M5S-League government.
"I am, and I remain, convinced that a government is needed
for this country, a turning-point government," he said.
M5S leader Luigi Di Maio's insistence that Conte should
get a fresh term as premier has so far blocked a deal.
Zingaretti made it clear the possible new government must
mark a "change" from the 14-month M5S-League administration,
Italy's first all-populist government.
The stalemate has boosted the chances of President Mattarella
calling a fresh election at the end of October.
There is even a chance that the M5S may get back together
with the nationalist League amid overtures from League leader
Matteo Salvini, who pulled the plug on the government citing M5S
inaction August 8.
But Salvini, who is riding high in opinion polls thanks to
tough anti-migrant policies, would be the biggest beneficiary
from an early election - although his numbers have fallen since
he brought down the government.
League Farm Minister Gianmarco Centinaio told ANSA Monday the
League was ready to renew its collapsed alliance with the M5S to
last the rest of the legislative term until 2023.
"We're not interested in short-term things or things done
against someone but in a pact to renew and take forward the
government programme," he said.
In his resignation address on August 20 Conte made a
blistering attack on Salvini's policies including the hardline
anti-migrant stance that has most helped boost his poll ratings
- earning the premier plaudits from the left.
One of the conditions the PD has set for a government with
the M5S is reversing Salvini's policy of closing Italy's ports
to NGO run migrant rescue ships.
One of the key conditions the M5S has set is to cut the
number of Italy's MPs and Senators from 945 to 600.
An opinion poll by Demopolis Monday put the League on 33%,
down 4% in the last week, and its possible rightwing allies
Brothers of Italy on 6.8% and Forza Italia on 6.2%, giving the
centre right a clear majority.
The M5S, boosted slightly by the Conte effect, are up from
17% to 19% while the PD is still second party with 23%.
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