League chief Matteo Salvini and
5-Star Movement (M5S) leader Luigi Di Maio said Monday that a
new general election should be held on July 8 if it is not
possible to reach a deal to form a new government.
"As promised I will work to give a government to the country
and I will try to knock down the vetoes on one side and the
other right until the end," Salvini said.
"If this should not happen, the soonest date to vote is
Sunday July 8. Di Maio agrees on the date too".
The M5S leader confirmed this after a meeting with Salvini.
"Without a political government, the possible date to vote is
July 8," Di Maio said.
President Sergio Mattarella held a third round of formal
political consultations on Monday but there was no sign of a
breakthrough to end the gridlock that followed Italy's
inconclusive election in March.
An election during the summer holiday season would be a first
for Italy.
The M5S, the biggest single party in parliament after the
last election, said it would not support a interim 'government
of the president' featuring all the major parties.
It also reiterated its opposition to forming a government
with the centre-right alliance as a whole, the coalition that
won the most votes in March, saying it was only willing to
negotiate with the anti-migrant, Euroskeptic League.
Salvini has called for him to be given a mandate to try to
form a government, but Mattarella looks unlikely to grant this,
as it is unclear how the centre right could have a working
majority in parliament.
The centre right is also against the idea of an interim
government of the president.
The centre-left Democratic Party, which slumped to its
worst-ever showing in March, has said it will not back a
government led by the M5S or the centre-right.
So far it is the only group to say it would support a
'government of the president'.
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