The euroskeptic M5S and the anti-migrant League have said they're moving "quickly" to give Italy a government. But Italy's president has warned the parties against wreaking havoc on the country's status in the EU.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/ANSA/G. Lami
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The left-wing Five Star Movement (M5S) and the far-right League, two of Italy's biggest anti-establishment parties, on Thursday said they had made "significant steps" towards forming a coalition government.
Italy has been in a political deadlock since inconclusive elections in March. But the two parties made a breakthrough on Wednesday, when former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said he wouldn't prevent the two parties from forming a government.
The parties said they're hoping "to determine everything rapidly to quickly give the country some answers and a political government."
Lawmakers representing both parties will meet on Thursday to negotiate legislative priorities for the coalition government. The agenda will form part of a formal coalition agreement similar to that in Germany.
But the Italian president, Sergio Mattarella, warned both euroskeptic parties against undermining the country's status in the EU, saying they would be "consciously tricking public opinion" by suggesting Italy could get on without the bloc. Both parties want to exit the eurozone and renegotiate EU budgetary restrictions.
Matteo Salvini campaigned on a far-right platform that threatened to deport hundreds of thousands of irregular migrantsImage: picture-alliance/AP Photo/ANSA/M. Percossi
'Uncertainties'
M5S leader Luigi Di Maio (pictured above) took to Facebook to say: "I cannot disguise my joy and happiness that we can finally start solving Italy's problems."
League leader Matteo Salvini said in a post on Twitter: "We're working for you," referring to his campaign slogan: "Italians first."
But some analysts were worried. "The prospect of having a government of two euroskeptic parties creates uncertainties," said IG Markets analyst Vincenzo Longo.
Democracy Italian style: The weirdest moments of Italy's election campaign
Ahead of parliamentary elections on Sunday, Italy is suffering from a bout of voter apathy. Considering what they've seen on the campaign trail might explain why.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/B. N. Clarke
He's back, and this time he's a vegetarian
Last Easter, in an attempt to soften his image as he eyed a return to politics, Berlusconi took part in an ad promoting vegetarianism that featured him snuggling lambs in soft lighting overlaid with easy listening music. Although Berlusconi is barred from seeking office for another year due to a fraud conviction, a bloc led by his Forza Italia party has been polling strongly.
Image: youtube/TG4 - Telegiornale
'No one will marry you'
Berlusconi is well known for offensive remarks and belittling women, so it's no surprise he did both in one go on the campaign trail. Earlier in February, he told a BBC journalist that her handshake was too manly; "Otherwise men will think, this one is going to beat me up, and no one will marry you."
Image: picture-alliance/ROPI/Napoli/Giacomino
Win (a date with) Salvini!
Matteo Salvini of the far-right Northern League came up with a humble publicity stunt – whoever likes his Facebook posts can win a chance to take a picture with "the captain", talk to him on the phone, or meet in private. He was lambasted on social media and by Italy's La Repubblica daily, which wrote: "The captain? Even Silvio Berlusconi in his golden age would envy this kind of self-regard."
Image: www.salvinipremier.it
Think about it!
If ex-PM Matteo Renzi was hoping to make a big splash with this tepid ad in which — surprise! — he shows up on a bike and tells a family to "think about" voting for him, then he was certainly successful. Just not perhaps in the way he wanted. The staggeringly lackluster TV spot was parodied countless times on social media.
Image: Youtube/Matteo Renzi
Just us kids
Luigi di Maio of Italy's anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) has repeatedly used his age of only 31 to try and connect with younger voters and is prolific on social media. One of his most cringeworthy attempts to relate to millennial voters came in a video he posted to Instagram in which he said M5S would make Italy "fly high," before "flying" himself in an entertainment complex.
Image: Instagram/luigi.di.maio
Pope: Fake news is like being aroused by feces
After the US election, the Pope warned about the spread of fake news in Italy and its undue influence. He called untrue, sensational stories "the greatest damage the media can do," in an interview with the Catholic weekly Tertio. "I think the media...must not fall into – no offense intended – the sickness of coprophilia," he said, using a more polite term for an abnormal interest in faeces.
Image: picture-alliance/Catholic Press Photo
Prime Minister Oliver?
Comedian and pundit John Oliver brought the tumultous Italian election to the attention of a wider audience in one of his famous TV segments, skewering Berlusconi. Oliver's solution to Italy's unwieldy democracy? Encouraging Italian lawmakers to appoint him: "Incredibly, I am far from your worst option," he joked while cuddling a lamb.
Since the elections, Di Maio has signaled his party's willingness to form a government with the League if it ditched its alliance partner, the Berlusconi-led Forza Italia. On Wednesday, Berlusconi said he would no longer be an obstacle if the League wanted to try to form a government with M5S.
What do they want to change? Both M5S and the League have rejected what they see as Brussels-imposed budget limitations, saying they want to renegotiate such bloc-wide regulation.
They also want to hold a referendum on Italy's continued membership of the eurozone and reform the pension and tax system. Only M5S has signaled its intention to one day hold a referendum on Italy's membership in NATO.
What happens next? Italian President Sergio Mattarella has reportedly given the parties until Monday to inform him of their plans to form a government, which would include jointly nominating a prime minister. The proposal for a government must be approved by the president before it goes to a vote in Parliament.
Italy's political uncertainty weighs on the economy
