The anti-establishment 5-Star
Movement, the rightwing populist League, the centre-right Forza
Italia (FI) party and the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) said
Friday they would file blank ballots in the first round of
voting for parliamentary Speakers, the first act in the hung
parliament that convenes Friday.
A deal between the centre right, including the League, and
the M5S to give the Speakership of the Senate to the former and
the House to the latter broke down Thursday.
The M5S rejected the F1 candidate for Senate Speaker, former
Senate Whip Paolo Romani, because he is under investigation for
alleged misuse of a municipal cellphone in the northern city of
Monza.
The M5S said Friday they would "never resurrect" the
so-called Nazarene Pact formerly between FI leader Silvio
Berlusconi and PD ex-leader Matteo Renzi.
"No blackmail, we won't rehabilitate Berlusconi," said M5S
Senate Whip Danilo Toninelli.
PD caretaker leader Maurizio Martina said "the stalemate is
getting more complicated, and what we need are guarantor
figures".
Small rightist Brothers of Italy (FdI) leader Giorgia Meloni
said "the stalemate is due to infantile posturing".
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