Premier designate Carlo Cottarelli
met President Sergio Mattarella for informal talks on Wednesday,
amid huge uncertainty about Italy's political situation and
turbulence on the financial markets.
Mattarella asked former spending review commissioner
Cottarelli to try to form an interim, technocrat executive after
attempts to put together a political government following the
inconclusive March 4 election failed.
The last attempt, based on a agreement between the League and
the 5-Star Movement (M5S), broke down after Mattarella refused
to approve the nomination of Euroskeptic economist Paolo Savona
as economy minister.
This prompted a furious reaction from League and the M5S,
whose leader Luigi Di Maio called for Mattarella to be impeached
Italy's bonds came under huge pressure on Monday and the
international stock market suffered big losses amid fears that
Italy could end up quitting the eurozone.
Di Maio opened up to the possibility of reopening talks on a
M5S-League government late on Monday, saying the M5S was willing
to revise its positions and stating that the impeachment
hypothesis was "no longer on the table".
Salvini, on the other hand, said Wednesday that Mattarella
must set a date for new elections as soon as possible.
"This is my appeal: Sergio Mattarella give us a date for the
vote and the Italian people will do justice for what has
happened," Salvini said in Pisa.
Former IMF economist Cottarelli did not present his list of
ministers on Monday as he needs more time to assess some issues
linked to possible cabinet members, according to sources at
Mattarella's office.
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