Democracy has been surpassed - Grillo

(ANSA) - Rome, July 27 - Beppe Grillo, the founder of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S), has said that he thinks the tradition model of parliamentary democracy is obsolete.
    "We must realise that democracy has been surpassed," the comedian-turned-politician told American show Gzero World.
    "What is democracy when less that 50% go out to vote? "If you get 30% of the 50%, you got 15%. "Today minorities manage the country. It should probably be replaced with something else, perhaps a random draw.
    "I think we could choose one of the two houses of parliament like this. Randomly. In a proportional way for age, sex, income, from the south, from the north, so that these people really represent the country". Grillo set up the Internet-based M5S in 2009 and it grew fast to become the best supported individual party in March's general election.
    The M5S, which is in a coalition government with the rightwing League, wants to see direct democracy with people getting involved in making decisions via technology and the Internet. In the interview Grillo, who is no longer the political leader of the M5S, repeated his call for a referendum on whether Italy should keep the euro as its currency.