Italy edging toward coalition

Nation’s populist parties reach breakthrough after president’s ultimatum

The populist leaders of the 5-Star Movement and the League announced progress Thursday toward forming a new Italian government after two months of political stalemate.

The breakthrough came days after Italy’s president, Sergio Mattarella, indicated that, given the rounds of fruitless consultations, he would form a “neutral government” — something both parties are determined to avoid. Neither won enough to govern alone in the inconclusive March 4 elections that created a hung parliament, but they have been stymied in reaching a coalition deal largely over the role of former premier Silvio Berlusconi in any government.

League leader Matteo Salvini, who heads a centre-right bloc, and 5-Star leader Luigi di Maio said in a joint statement after a face-to-face meeting in Rome that they had made “significant progress” on the composition of the Cabinet and on identifying a candidate for the post of premier to bring to Mattarella. The timing of such a meeting remains unclear. The parties’ lawmakers will begin work later Thursday on a government contract that will define the legislative priorities of the new government, following the tradition of a formal, signed coalition agreement in Germany.

Wolfango Piccoli, the cofounder of Teneo Intelligence consultancy, said he expected any 5-Star-League government to be short-lived, with new elections likely to take place in the spring of 2019.