(ANSA) - Rome, August 22 - Thursday is a crunch day for
Italy's government-formation or election consultations as
President Sergio Mattarella meets the big parties to map a way
forward.
The head of State met the centre-left Democratic Party (PD)
at 11 o'clock while he will wind up his consultations with the
anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) at five o'clock.
PD leader Nicola Zingaretti said the PD was open to a
"turning-point government" with the M5S or else early elections
in late October.
Zingaretti on Wednesday laid down five conditions for a
possible government with the M5S, their former fierce foes.
These include a change from the tough anti-migrant policies
of League leader Matteo Salvini, who pulled the plug on a
14-month executive with the M5S accusing them of inaction on
August 8.
A big stumbling block is that the M5S are insisting on
Premier Giuseppe Conte keeping his job in a new administration,
something which Zingaretti has vetoed.
The possibility of naming a woman premier, possibly former
justice minister Paola Severino or Constitutional Court Vice
President Marta Cartabia, has been aired by some observers in a
bid to meet Zingaretti's insistence on "discontinuity" from the
M5S-League government.
Mattarella also met the other centre-right party, Silvio
Berlusconi's Forza Italia (FI), at noon, after which three-time
former premier Berlusconi called for a centre-right government
or fresh elections.
He had already seen Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy (FdI),
which reiterated that the only option was a rapid general
election.
M5S leader Luigi Di Maio has said he will reply to the PD's
offer once he has seen Mattarella.
Crunch day, Mattarella meets big parties
Sees PD and FI, will see League, M5S in afternoon