Five Star Movement move to elect speaker

Italy’s general election at the beginning of March resulted in a ‘hung parliament’ with the Five Star Movement being the largest party.

A conservative alliance emerged as the biggest bloc with Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia and the anti-migrant league.

The two factions have joined forces in a bid to elect Robert Fico from the Five Star Movement as president of the lower-house and Elisabetta Casellati as president of the senate.

“I am very happy, moved and proud that parliament has started to work and that the centre-right has held together,” Matteo Salvini from the Lega Nord political party said.

The election of these speakers paves the way for formal government consultations which will be chaired by President Sergio Mattarella.

Former Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni handed in his resignation later on Saturday, a normal procedure following election of the speakers.

The decision to elect the speakers came after the conservative alliance was close to collapsing after the Lega Nord sided with the Five Star Movement to halt Forza Italia’s candidate for the Senate, overnight negotiations seemed to have solved several issues.