Italy’s Five Star Movement and Democratic Party face deadline for coalition talks

italy coalition talks — Photo: Reuters/Guglielmo Mangiapane

Today is the deadline, established by President Sergio Mattarella, for political parties to finalise agreements for a potential coalition.

With the collapse of Italy’s ruling coalition between the populist Five Star Movement (M5S) and right-wing Northern League, there are two possible outcomes: a new coalition government or a call for an early election.

Former rivals, M5S and the centre-left Democratic Party might form a coalition today. The populist M5S and the centre-left PD are compromising on the zero-tolerance immigration policy, among many other contentious topics.

If successful, the coalition could deny Northern League leader Matteo Salvini his chance to lead Italy—a chance Mr Salvini created by undermining his own coalition with M5S two weeks ago. Salvini insists that a M5S-Democratic Party coalition would have no mandate to rule Italy, nor would it be democratic—the Northern League is the single most popular party in the country.

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While there is speculation that a deal might be reached for the sake of a smooth transition to a new government, analysts predict that stark differences between the two parties will likely impede future policymaking.

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Steven Honig

Steven is a member of both the Risk Analysis and Current Developments teams. Serving as both a researcher and publisher, he assists with the delivery of all facets of the Daily Brief. Steven's writing focuses on China, Russia, and macroeconomics.