Salvini rejects technical government

Milan March 10 (IANS/AKI) Far-right League leader Matteo Salvini on Friday ruled out a technical cabinet to run Italy should its parties fail to form a coalition government after the country s inconclusive national election.

"Either government by a real government or we hold fresh polls " Salvini told reporters in Milan.
"I don t have much faith in technical or temporary governments tasked with enacting a few reforms which risk being at the service of Brussels."

As the leader of the centre-right coalition that took the biggest share of votes in last Sunday s election Salvini claims he should get a first bid to form a government as does the populist Five-Star Movement which emerged as Italy s largest party getting some 32 per cent of votes.

None of Italy s parties or electoral coalitions won enough parliamentary seats to govern alone and the League and Five-Star are both eyeing a possible coalition with the centre-left Democratic Party which won 19 percent of votes last Sunday - its worst-ever result.

"I hope the Democratic Party will be willing to offer a way forward for the country whoever wins the primaries " Salvini said referring to the election of a new party leader following Matteo Renzi s resignation on Monday after his crushing electoral defeat.

Sometime after March 23 when the new parliament convenes to elect the speakers of the two houses Italy s President Sergio Mattarella will begin formal consultations with parties over the formation of a government.

--IANS