- Title: Italy politicians thrash out plans for post-crisis leader
- Date: 10th December 2016
- Summary: ROME, ITALY (DECEMBER 10, 2016) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** MEDIA WAITING FOR PARTY REPRESENTATIVES TO COME OUT FROM MEETINGS WITH PRESIDENT REPORTER DOING PIECE TO CAMERA ITALIAN CORAZZIERI HONOUR GUARDS ARRIVING AT DOOR GUARD FORMER ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER AND LEADER OF THE FORZA ITALIA PARTY, SILVIO BERLUSCONI, EXITING MEETING ROOM WITH PARTY REPRESENTATIVES MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) FORMER ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER AND LEADER OF THE FORZA ITALIA PARTY, SILVIO BERLUSCONI, SAYING: "The difficult economic situation, continued high unemployment, internal and external threats to security, and difficult relations with Europe, are all important issues that do not allow delays. Important themes that call for elections to be held as soon as possible, to form a stable government that has been voted in by legitimately by the people." MEDIA BERLUSCONI AND PARTY REPRESENTATIVES LEAVING PHOTOGRAPHERS WORKING ON COMPUTERS REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 5-STAR MOVEMENT EXITING MEETING ROOM AND ARRIVING AT PODIUM PHOTOGRAPHER TAKING PHOTOS (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) REPRESENTATIVE OF THE 5-STAR-MOVEMENT, GIULIA GRILLO, SAYING: "Renzi, all of his government and the entire Democratic Party, have failed. This is not an allegation we are making; it is a claim confirmed by 19,419,730 citizens who voted 'No' in the referendum last Sunday. Any new government that is yet again put in place by higher powers would not have the people's support to govern. It would just continue the ways of the previous government, imposing on the Italian people the usual economic recipes that are based on tears and blood and causing damage to every citizen." REPRESENTATIVES OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY EXITING MEETING ROOM AND ARRIVING AT PODIUM PHOTOGRAPHER (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) DEMOCRATIC PARTY SENATE LEADER, LUIGI ZANDA, SAYING: "We have assured President Mattarella that he has the entire Democratic Party's support to solve the crisis in any way he considers most beneficial to the country and that leads to the formation of a government which will need to tackle the most urgent emergencies facing our country, among which is the new electoral law, and with the objective of holding elections as soon as possible." ZANDA AND DEMOCRATIC PARTY REPRESENTATIVES LEAVING
- Embargoed: 25th December 2016 18:19
- Keywords: Italy President Sergio Mattarella consultations prime minister government Matteo Renzi
- Location: ROME, ITALY
- City: ROME, ITALY
- Country: Italy
- Reuters ID: LVA0015CAVRRB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Political parties made their cases to Italy's president on Saturday (December 10) for ways out of a government crisis prompted by Matteo Renzi's resignation as prime minister following his defeat in a referendum on constitutional reform.
President Sergio Mattarella, a 75-year-old former constitutional court judge, must decide if someone can lead the country to national elections scheduled for 2018, or whether the next government will serve only until early elections in spring.
Italians rejected Renzi's constitutional reform in a popular vote on Dec. 4, leading the 41-year-old to fulfil a pledge to resign as premier.
Mattarella started consulting smaller parliamentary groups on Thursday (December 8), and received bigger parties on Saturday, finishing with Renzi's Democratic Party (PD), whose backing is vital for any candidate as it holds a majority in both houses.
Silvio Berlusconi, a four-times prime minister who leads the centre-right Forza Italia (Go Italy!) party, called for elections as soon as possible.
"The difficult economic situation, continued high unemployment, internal and external threats to security, and difficult relations with Europe, are all important issues that do not allow delays. Important themes that call for elections to be held as soon as possible, to form a stable government that has been voted in by legitimately by the people," Berlusconi said after meeting Mattarella, adding he would not support a cross-party coalition.
Berlusconi said a new electoral law needed to be put in place quickly, to replace one that only applies to the lower house and that could be declared illegitimate in January by the Constitutional Court.
Mattarella also consulted with the anti-system 5-Star Movement (M5S), which polls a close second to the Democratic Party.
M5S and the anti-immigrant Northern League, which visited Mattarella on Friday (December 9), have called for an immediate vote.
"Renzi, all of his government and the entire Democratic Party, have failed. This is not an allegation we are making; it is a claim confirmed by 19,419,730 citizens who voted 'No' in the referendum last Sunday. Any new government that is yet again put in place by higher powers would not have the people's support to govern. It would just continue the ways of the previous government, imposing on the Italian people the usual economic recipes that are based on tears and blood and causing damage to every citizen," 5-Star Movement representative, Giulia Grillo, said after talks with Mattarella.
The Democratic Party pushed for the creation of a broad, cross-party coalition, but most other parties were opposed to such a government, the PD Senate leader Luigi Zanda said after his meeting the head of state.
"We have assured President Mattarella that he has the entire Democratic Party's support to solve the crisis in any way he considers most beneficial to the country and that leads to the formation of a government which will need to tackle the most urgent emergencies facing our country, among which is the new electoral law, and with the objective of holding elections as soon as possible," Zanda said.
PD was planning to use the day's last meeting slot with Mattarella to argue that Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni, 62, should lead the new government, four party sources told Reuters.
If he gets the nod, Gentiloni could take office next week and would face an immediate crisis in the banking sector, with Italy's third largest lender Monte dei Paschi di Siena likely to need state intervention to avoid collapse. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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