Luigi Di Maio announces his resignation from the head of the 5 Star Movement
The announcement comes four days before a crucial regional election this Sunday when the M5S-Democratic Party government coalition could lose big.
Towards new political turmoil in Italy? Luigi Di Maio announced on Wednesday his resignation from the 5 Star movement, partner of the very fragile government coalition with the Democratic Party.
The populist leader of the left, however, indicated that he would remain minister of the government led by Giuseppe Conte (close to the M5S). “But now is the time for a step back from the party. I am tired, exhausted, “he told relatives, according to the press.
Luigi Di Maio, 33, who arrived at the head of the M5S in September 2017, is disputed inside the M5S. Elected officials believe that he cannot reconcile the posts of the minister and party leaders. Others criticize his management of the Movement, marked by the defection of parliamentarians in recent months. Each elected “5 Stars” insider must in fact pay to the movement, by returning part of their salary equivalent to 2,000 euros per month.
Salvini’s Northern League in ambush This announcement comes four days before a crucial regional election scheduled for Sunday in Emilia-Romagna (northeast). A victory of the far-right in this region historically anchored to the left, of which Bologna is the capital, could lead to the fall of the government. And provoke anticipated legislative ardently desired by the head of the League (far right) Mr. Salvini, ejected this summer after having broken up his coalition with M5S.
The first party in Italy during the last legislative elections in March 2018, where it obtained 32% of the vote, the M5S collapsed to 19% during the European elections last May. He is now credited with around 15% of the voting intentions behind the Democratic Party at 18%, with which he governs, and the League at 33%.
These rumors of the resignation of Mr. Di Maio led to an early morning increase to 170 points of the “spread”, the highly scrutinized spread between German and Italian interest rates at ten years. He had dropped back to 166 points late in the morning. The Milan Stock Exchange was at half-mast, losing 0.44% to 23,740 points, pulled down especially by banks.
By Le Parisien with AFP