Rome (AFP)
The 5-star movement (M5S, antisystem) raised the stakes on Tuesday, suspending talks with the Democratic Party until the center-left party officially gave the go-ahead to a re-election of incumbent Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.
The two parties split up in the middle of the night after four hours of strained bargaining to try to urgently form a government, replacing the coalition between the M5S and Matteo Salvini's League, an equation that includes a common agenda and a delicate sharing of ministerial portfolios.
They were to meet at 11:00 (9:00 GMT) for a meeting a priori decisive in the offices of Prime Minister Conte, but a statement to the acerbic spread Tuesday morning by the 5-star movement has the effect of a bomb and provoked the cancellation of the meeting.
"After four hours of meeting, we have not achieved anything, we can not work like that, we will see the PD again when the party organs give Conte their okay to stay in charge of the government," said the M5S. . Adding: "It does not go at all.In a phase as delicate for the country, there is no time to lose.BP, they still have confused ideas.
With its weight as the first formation in Parliament since the parliamentary elections of 2018 (32% of the vote), the M5S intends to influence the sharing of ministries with the Democratic Party, even if it plays with fire.
- The PD gets angry -
Andrea Marcucci, who is the head of the senators of the PD, has thus tasted the cancellation of the meeting between Mr. Conte, the leader of the Democratic Party Nicola Zingaretti and the boss of the M5S Luigi Di Maio, accusing him by name of putting in danger an alliance.
"His personal ambitions may blow an agreement to give a new government to the country," he warned. "It has been three days since the PD speaks of proposals" while "the M5S responds only with ultimatums," said Paola De Micheli, a leader of the PD, expected for a post of Deputy Prime Minister.
According to media reports, Luigi Di Maio is seeking the seat of Interior Minister, in which he will sit in the place of Matteo Salvini, which would be a revenge on the one who put to death their coalition on August 8, after only 14 months of a turbulent union. Others see it at the Ministry of Defense.
In the opinion of those around him, Nicola Zingaretti is no longer vetoing the maintenance of Giuseppe Conte as head of a new government. But he considers that if Mr. Conte is renewed, he can not be flanked as in the previous government of two vice-premiers representing the two allies of the majority but one, from the PD.
The Democratic Party would also like to win the portfolios of the Economy and Foreign Affairs, speculate the newspapers.
- The deadline of President Mattarella -
The markets seemed to bet on a last-minute deal: the Milan Stock Exchange was up more than 1% at mid-day, while the spread (spread between Italian and German interest rates) hovered around 200 points. based.
Time is running out: Italian President Sergio Mattarella will start consultations at 4:00 pm (14:00 GMT) and wait until Wednesday evening for a project with a "solid majority".
Without agreement for a new coalition, Mattarella would convene new legislation, probably for November 10, while he is notoriously reluctant in a delicate phase for the third economy of the euro area, heavily indebted and stopped .
For his part, a little shot the day before when a PD-M5S agreement seemed on track, Matteo Salvini mocked last-minute deals "not on projects but chairs", repeating his call to return to the polls: "do fast if you want to collect everything and the opposite of everything, or so go vote".
© 2019 AFP