On Monday, following an online vote, M5S Chairman Beppe Grillo announced the party's decision to withdraw from the Euroskeptic political group Alliance for Direct Democracy in Europe (ADDE) and merge with the ALDE. Later on Monday, ALDE Chairman and former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt said that the alliance would not go ahead with the proposed deal citing deep-rooted incompatibilities.
"M5S once again says one thing and does another. For years they have been saying that M5S is against the euro and the European Union and now Grillo changes his mind and tries to merge with ALDE, which has a diametrically opposite position concerning fundamental ideas. M5S party does not have coherent and consistent ideas within the party," Gianluca Savoini said.
"I am not sure who could possibly join them. They are reluctant to forge alliances with other parties. Lega Nord leader Salvini tried to organize a meeting with Grillo three times and every time he refused," a member of the Lega Nord Party Claudio D'Amico told Sputnik.
He added that M5S was a party of individuals that have opposite ideas. "Everyone has his own program. The problem that Five Star Movement representatives in Rome and Strasbourg also have opposite ideas," D'Amico said.
The Five Star Movement was established in 2009 by Grillo, a comedian, and web-strategist Gianroberto Casaleggio. Grillo used his blog and social media to gather people for campaigning on local issues and field candidates for elections. He is a long-standing opponent of Italy's membership of the euro area and has called for a referendum on withdrawal from the single currency.
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