The anti-establishment 5-Star
Movement (M5S) and the anti-migrant Euroskeptic League on
Tuesday blasted European Budget Commissioner Guenther Oettinger
for saying markets would persuade Italians not to vote for the
two populist parties.
M5S) European Parliament delegation head Laura Agea said
"we ask European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to
immediately deny Commissioner Oettinger.
She said "his words are of an unprecedented gravity and are
proof of the clear manipulations that Italian democracy has
suffered in the last few days".
League leader Matteo Salvini said: "They are without shame in
Brussels.
"The European budget commissioner, Germany's (Guenther)
Oettinger, says that 'the markets will teach Italians to vote
for the right thing'. If that isn't a threat...I'm not scared
#Italiansfirst".
Fallout on the financial markets will prompt Italians not to
vote for populist parties, Oettinger of Germany said Tuesday,
according to an excerpt from a Deutsche Welle interview to be
published tonight.
"The negative development of the markets will lead Italians
not to vote much longer for the populists," he reportedly said.
Oettinger's remark that financial markets would soon teach
Italians not to vote for populists any more was
"ill-considered", European Commission President Jean-Claude
Juncker's spokesperson said.
"Juncker has been informed of this ill-considered comment,
and has asked me to clarify the Commission's official position:
it is up to the Italians and only them to decide the future of
their country, and to no one else".
European Council President Donald Tusk appealed to European
institutions to respect Italian voters after Oettinger's
remarks.
Tusk said "my appeal to all European institutions is please,
respect the voters: we are here to serve them, not to lecture
them".
Two populist parties, the 5-Star Movement (M5S) and the
League, came out on top in the March 4 general election and are
set to score even heavier in the next elections, expected in
September or October.
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