- Title: Italy's Berlusconi says party wants snap vote after talks with president
- Date: 28th August 2019
- Summary: ROME, ITALY (AUGUST 28, 2019) (REUTERS) LEADER OF GO ITALY! AND FORMER ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER SILVIO BERLUSCONI EXITING FROM ITALIAN PRESIDENT SERGIO MATTARELLA'S OFFICE / (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) LEADER OF GO ITALY! PARTY, SILVIO BERLUSCONI, SAYING: "Once again, we expressed to the President of the Republic the need, in our opinion, to give the Italians the chance to express their opinions (through election). We have also expressed our concern about the scenario that is emerging, a scenario that the head of state has tackled with balance and with the wisdom that we have always recognised. We think the government that the Democratic Party and the 5-Star Movement want to form is a politically wrong solution, a solution that we consider inadequate to face the big problems left by the previous government." CAMERAMAN (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) LEADER OF GO ITALY! PARTY, SILVIO BERLUSCONI, SAYING: "Thank you very much and I congratulate you for your work and your professionalism and we wish you all good work. Thanks again." BERLUSCONI LEAVING AND POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS
- Embargoed: 11th September 2019 17:18
- Keywords: 5-Star Movement Giuseppe Conte Luigi Di Maio Go Italy! leader Silvio Berlusconi government crisis League Rome Democratic Party Italian politics Matteo Salvini
- Location: ROME, ITALY
- City: ROME, ITALY
- Country: Italy
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001AU4UPFR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Leader of Go Italy! party Silvio Berlusconi on Wednesday (August 28) said his party wants the country to go to the polls after the Democratic Party (PD) announced it was ready to form a coalition with the 5-Star Movement, setting aside years of hostility to avert a snap election and ease economic uncertainty.
Berlusconi was speaking to the media after meeting Italian President Sergio Mattarella for a second round of talks.
He described the coalition plan as a "politically wrong solution" and "inadequate".
Earlier, PD leader Nicola Zingaretti told Italy's president that his party would accept the 5-Star candidate for prime minister -- the current premier Giuseppe Conte.
The previous coalition made up of 5-Star and the far-right League collapsed this month when League leader Matteo Salvini withdrew hoping to trigger an early election and cash in on his surging popularity.
Mattarella is due to meet 5-Star leaders at 7 p.m. (1700 GMT). If they give him the green light, he will likely call in Conte and invite him to form a new cabinet, Italy's 67th since the end of World War Two.
(Production: Carmelo Camilli, Gabriele Pileri, Fabiano Franchitti, Emily Roe) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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