Italy’s populists in push to take power in snap polls

Italy’s two populist parties are preparing to seize power after attempts to form a coalition government collapsed, raising the prospect of new elections as early as July.

Luigi Di Maio, leader of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement, and Matteo Salvini, who heads the far-right League, are demanding early elections after a third round of negotiations failed to end the deadlock from the inconclusive election in March.

President Sergio Mattarella on Monday called for a neutral caretaker government to rule this year, but both populist leaders rejected it in favour of a return to the polls.

Without their support Mr Mattarella is unlikely to push his proposal through parliament, said Luigi Ferrata of the Italian strategic communications consultancy, Community Group.

“The League and Five Star don’t want to support a neutral government, which means snap elections are very likely in July or September,” Mr Ferrata told The National.

He said that if elections took place in the coming months they could produce a more decisive result, with either of the two populist rivals seizing control.

“I think we could see a polarisation of the electorate between Salvini and Di Maio, because the other candidates are weaker this time around,” Mr Ferrata said. “The Democratic Party and [Forza Italia leader Silvio] Berlusconi both seem to be losing ground.

“That means we would see a run-off between the League and the Five Star Movement, which could result in a clearer winner and an end to the political deadlock.”

In March 4 general election, a right-wing alliance led by the League won the most votes but Five Star become the largest single party. The

centre-left Democratic Party finished a distant third.

A clearly frustrated Mr Mattarella has tried for weeks to break the stalemate but proposals for alliances failed, mainly after Mr Salvini refused to abandon his partnership with Mr Berlusconi to enter a coalition with Five Star.

“The parties have repeatedly asked for more time to try to find an agreement,” Mr Mattarella said in a televised public statement. “In the meantime, lacking an agreement, I hope they will agree via a confidence vote to give birth to a neutral government – a government of service.”

He said that this government would last until the end of December, after which it would be dissolved and new elections could be held.

Mr Mattarella said that elections over the summer would be impractical because so many Italians would be on vacation, and risky in autumn because it could jeopardise approval of the annual budget in parliament.

But Mr Di Maio dismissed his proposal. “We have no faith in a neutral government, which is synonymous with a government of technocrats. We are going to vote in July,” he wrote on Twitter.

Mr Salvini also rejected the idea and called for elections on July 8 if, as seems likely, there is no last-ditch agreement between party leaders.

“It’s crucial that the vote of the people is respected,” he said after the president spoke. “So it’s either a centre-right government or elections as soon as possible.”

The League and Five Star have enough votes together in parliament to block any other government from taking office.

The only major political force to support Mr Mattarella’s idea was the centre-left Democratic Party, whose acting leader Maurizio Martina echoed “the president’s call for responsibility”.