Beppe Grillo of the
anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) on Wednesday upped his
call for Italy to have a referendum on whether the country
should continue to have the euro as its currency and stay in the
European Union.
Writing on his blog, the fulcrum of his Internet-based
party, the comic-turned-politician said Italians must be given
the final word on whether the euro is still "feasible and
legitimate".
"Italy lost its monetary sovereignty without consulting its
citizens," added the leader of Italy's second-largest party.
Grillo has been pushing for a referendum on the single
currency since last year.
In Italy it is possible to call a referendum by collecting
500,000 signatures in a petition if the Constitutional Court
rules that the proposal is line with the Constitution.
Grillo says Italy should follow the lead of Britain, after
Prime Minister David Cameron promised to hold a referendum on EU
membership by 2017.
His opponents accuse him of stirring up anti-Euro and
anti-austerity sentiment ahead of European Parliament elections
on May 25, in which the M5S and Euroskeptic parties like it are
expected to do well.
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