Following the Sunday referendum, the country’s Prime Minister Matteo Renzi announced his decision to resign. President Sergio Mattarella asked Renzi to delay the resignation until the approval of the budget, currently discussed by then parliament. Then the president will start talks with party leaders on forming the new government or call snap parliamentary elections.
Crossroads
Renzi’s decision to step down could result in several scenarios, each of them leading to a different outcome.
The second option could happen if Mattarella does not accept the resignation of the cabinet, while yet another version has in mind snap elections held in the country in order to form the new parliament and consequently the new government.
The potential elections are expected to strengthen the positions of opposition parties, such as the eurosceptic Lega Nord Party or the Five Star Movement (M5S), as their opposition to Renzi’s proposals has been supported by majority of voters in the recent referendum despite certain differences in their own political platforms.
Parties' Response
Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano, from the New Centre-Right party that had supported Renzi’s initiative, said that his party would not oppose the move of the president, if he decided to hold snap elections. The politician said that potential elections could take place in February 2017, but the decision on the issue was in the competence of the president.
Gianluca Savoini, adviser on international politics of Lega Nord told Sputnik, that his party supported holding early elections, adding that this was the only similar point in political programs of Lega Nord and the M5S.
"In fact, M5S's demands are just propaganda and big words. Dangerous party leader Bepper Grillo's main goal is to set up a system of power that would benefit from the confusion and fear among the electorate in Italy. We have nothing to share with them, the only thing we have in common is our readiness to hold snap elections as soon as possible," Savoini said.
After the Sunday referendum, the so-called populist M5S has already called for early elections.
Michele Dell’Orco, the parliament member from the M5S told Sputnik that the movement was calling to "get up and hold new parliamentary elections as soon as possible," pointing that surveys were in favor of the M5S.
At the same time, he added that both left and right-wing political parties would like to rewrite a new electoral law to prevent the movement from getting the majority in the possible snap elections.