The anti-establishment 5-Star
MOvement (M5S) is set to decide in a poll of card-carrying
members on its online platform Rousseau whether to run in
January 26 regional elections in Emilia Romagna or not.
Activists in Emilia Romagna are in favour of standing there.
But M5S leader and Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio is against
it, after a disastrous showing in last month's Umbria elections
when it was allied with the centre-left Democratic Party (PD).
Di Maio, who is in national government with the PD and two
smaller parties, has said the experiment will not be replicated
at a regional level again.
M5S members will be asked to answer a question as to whether
they do not want to present a party list in Emilia Romagna.
Local militants urged members to vote no to that query on
their Facebook page Thursday.
But Di Maio said "if we present (our list) now we won't have
time to hold estates general to create a solid organisation".
The M5S has historically been much weaker on the regional
level that it is at the national level.
It got 34% at the March 2018 general election, becoming
Italy's top party, but is currently polling at less than half
that.
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