Beppe Grillo, leader of the
anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S), went on the attack
Wednesday against Italian Premier Matteo Renzi during his
party's campaign for European elections.
"It's easy for people to vote for Renzi," said Grillo, a
former comedian, as he began a tour ahead of next month's
elections to the European Parliament in which euroskeptic
parties such as his are expected to do well.
"If you are not intelligent, honest and democratic, vote
for him (Renzi)," said Grillo, who opened the M5S campaign in
the southern city of Catania one day after publishing a list of
the party's first 20 candidates on his popular blog.
The candidates were chosen from a pool of 5,091 aspiring
candidates in online voting by 35,188 M5S supporters casting
92,877 preferences.
Grillo brushed off internal dissent from some M5S members,
including Parma Mayor Federico Piazzrotti who raised questions
about the way Grillo selected his party's candidates for the May
25 elections.
Grillo suggested if dissenters don't like his approach,
they can leave the party.
He also denied comparisons with the far-right National
Front political party in France, where leader Marine Le Pen
posted a strong showing in local elections last weekend on a
wave of discontent with central governments.
"We have a very different matrix," said Grillo, who denied
Le Pen's allegations that he "hated" her.
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