The anti-establishment 5-Star
Movement (M5S) and the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) on
Friday started talks both sides described as "constructive" on
possibly forming a coalition government replacing the M5S's
alliance with the nationalist League which League leader Matteo
Salvini sank earlier this month.
"There are no unsurmountable problems", texted one of the
Democratic Party PD delegation members after the first session
of the talks.
PD Senate Whip Andrea Marcucci said that "the meeting took
place in a positive and constructive climate, which makes us
hope for the best on the prospects (for a deal)".
PD House Whip Graziano Delrio said that "there was broad
agreement on the points of the environmental and social
agenda. There is very serious work to be done on the budget
bill, on the priorities".
PD deputy leader Andrea Orlando said that "we will prepare
the dossiers necessary for talks on all the issues of the
programmatic agenda, we await approval by the leaders of the two
parties. We want to be operational in the next few hours".
Orlando said the PD had asked that the M5S exclusively talk
to the PD and not hold any talks with former ally the League.
M5S sources said that the talks had taken place in a
"constructive climate" too.
They said the M5s had stressed the need to cut 345 MPs as a
"fundamental point" for any alliance.
"We need guarantees on this aspect," the M5S sources said.
M5S House Whip Francesco D'Uva said the success of the talks
depends on agreeing the cut in MPs.
"All the dialogue on the rest depends on the MP cut," he
said.
D'Uva said the M5S did not have other talks ongoing with
other parties, ruling out any revival of an alliance with the
League.
M5S Senate Whip Stefano Patuanelli also said the first
session of the talks had not thrown up any "unsurmountable
obstacles".
"We don't have any other dates set yet, the climate is
constructive, we are interested in the points at the centre of
our policies," he said.
President Sergio Mattarella has given the former fierce foes
until Tuesday or Wednesday to try to put together a new
government to last
until the end of the legislative term in 2023.
M5S leader Luigi Di Maio laid down 10 conditions for the
government including a conflict of interest law, reform of State
broadcaster RAI, cutting the tax wedge, a minimum wage, justice
reform, green policies and, crucially, a reduction in the number
of MPs and Senators from 945 to 600, not counting five life
Senators.
PD leader Nicola Zingaretti set five conditions including a
change from Salvini's tough anti-migrant stance and his
closed-ports policy for NGO migrant rescue ships. The PD was
initially reported to be against cutting the number of MPs but
is now said to be coming round to the idea, as part of a wider
electoral reform restoring 100% proportional representation.
As part of any deal, the two parties would also have to come
up with a proposed premier and there is speculation Italy might
get its first woman premier in former justice minister Paola
Severino, or Constitutional Court Vice President Marta Cartabia.
However, there is still a slim chance of the M5S reviving its
alliance with the League if Di Maio accepts Salvini's offer of
the M5S leader becoming premier in a restored M5S-League
alliance.
Mattarella will hold fresh consultations on resolving the
government crisis on Tuesday. It is not clear wether they will
be held on a single day, or spill over into Wednesday.
The head of State has asked for a "solid and lasting"
coalition to serve out
the term to 2023, saying that early elections, probably on
October 27, are the only alternative.
The new government will have to pass the 2021 budget law and
avert a 23-billion-euro VAT hike.
The two delegations started talking at two o'clock in the
afternoon.
Amid reports of PD infighting, Di Maio said the centre-left
group was already quarrelling" even before the talks had
started.
"These people are already quarrelling, we knew them quite
well, unfortunately..let them get their ideas straight", "he
said, reiterating that cutting MPs from 945 to 600 was "the
start of any talks, it must be done at once.
"If you don't have the first point there's nothing else," he
said.
The M5S leader was speaking after former PD leader and
ex-premier Matteo Renzi accused former premier and now PD Chair
Paolo Gentiloni of wanting to sink the M5S-PD bid by setting the
condition that the M5S would have to give up on the MP cut.
That alleged attempt by Gentiloni has failed, Renzi said.
Zingaretti strongly denied any such attempt on the part of
the PD chair and former premier.
Gentiloni never made any "manoeuvre" to sink PD-5-Star
government talks and saying so is "ridiculous and offensive,"
Zingaretti said Friday, denying Renzi's claim.
"We are in the midst of extremely delicate consultations and
we are all working together to reach a difficult objective,"
Zingaretti said.
"This is to give life to a turning-point government to change
Italy; and this needs a united spirit, to defend the contents,
history and values of the Democratic Party".
"I must once again, for the umpteenth time, make an appeal
for responsibility: fundamental to reach this objective is to
stop the continual proliferation of communiqués, quips,
interviews which, indeed, put everything at risk and undermine
our credibility".
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