Speakerships not linked to govt - M5S

(ANSA) - Rome, March 15 - The election of the parliamentary Speakers is not linked to the formation of a government in Italy's hung parliament, the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) reiterated Thursday, saying it was claiming the Speakership of the Lower House.
    "We reiterated to the political forces that we ant to indicate the Speakers detaching these nominations from the issue of the government and making sure they are names that represent the popular will that made the M5S the top political force in the country, and we have seen that the (centre-left) Democratic Party (PD) and the League are open to this," said M5S Lower House Whip Giulia Grillo. She was speaking after talks on the Speakerships, the first task of the parliament that will sit on March 23. She conducted the talks with M5S Senate Whip Danilo Toninelli. Giulia Grillo is not a relation of the M5S's founder, comedian Beppe Grillo.
    Giulia Grillo added: "It is only right that the Speakership of the House should got to the M5S.
    She said they had asked for the House official because they wanted debate on scrapping parliamentary 'vitalizi' pensions to start off in the lower chamber.