Zingaretti clashes with Di Maio over 'ius soli'

(ANSA) - Rome, November 18 - Centre-left Democratic Party (PD) leader Nicola Zingaretti has clashed with the leader of his government partner, the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S), over introducing a 'ius soli' (law of the soil) citizenship law for immigrant children.
    At a PD national rally at the weekend Zingaretti said the progressive party must get behind moves to introduce ius soli or, as an alternative, 'ius culturae', granting citizenship when immigrant kids have completed five years of schooling in Italy.
    But M5S leader and Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, who endorsed the tough migrant and security laws of former partner, League leader and ex-interior minister Matto Salvini in the last government, dismissed the idea.
    "Half of the country is under water and some people thinking of 'ius soli', can you believe it?" he said.
    With the M5S spiralling downwards in the polls Di Maio is loth to disown the anti-migrant moves of Salvini, with whom he formed the first alliance backing Premier Giuseppe Conte.
    A second alliance, between the PD and the M5S, was formed after salvini brought down the first one hoping to cash in on high polling numbers in August.
    The new M5S-PD government has been dogged by constant bickering which has sparked speculation about how long it will last.
    The speculation surged again Sunday after the uis soli clash.
    But Di Maio played down the row on Monday, saying the government was "working well on concrete issues".
    "We are working well on concrete points like the budget, we have kept our promise not to raise VAT, we've removed the 'superticket' (health care surcharge), we are raising net take-home pay a little.
    "When it's a matter of tackling concrete issues the government takes action and the parliamentary caucuses are also working well together".
    Di Maio also denied supporting Salvini policies, saying he had "ended things" with the former interior minister when he pulled the plug on the Cone 1 government.