Democratic Party (PD) leader Matteo
Renzi and anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) leader Beppe
Grillo on Monday both hailed the results of Sunday's municipal
elections across Italy despite the M5S not making the second
round in any major city while the PD held up well overall
despite lagging in one-time fief Genoa.
Renzi said the PD had had "good results" and wished elected
mayors and second-round runners "all the best".
AS well as winning in Palermo, the PD placed first in
L'Aquila, the Abruzzo capital.
But Renzi stressed that he had decided to visit the quake-hit
Lazio villages of Amatrice and Accumoli instead of conducting an
electoral post-mortem.
Renzi's trip, along with Lazio Governor Nicola Zingaretti,
was a surprise one.
Grillo, meanwhile, flatly denied the M5S had flopped, saying
critics and rivals which maintained this were "deluding
themselves".
"The M5S was the most present political force in this
electoral round.
"The other parties camouflaged themselves, above all the PD
which presented itself in around half the constituencies the M5S
did," he said.
"The results are a sign of slow but inexorable growth".
Grillo contended, further, that "They're gloating but it's
the PD that is disappearing".
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