Rome April 20 (AKI) Luigi Di Maio leader of the populist Five-Star Movement after the inconclusive March 4 elections on Friday said he was optimistic that a coalition government could be formed.
"I am hopeful - by nature " he told journalists as he left the city for a rally in Italy s Molise region ahead of regional elections there on Sunday which Five-Star is predicted to win.
Di Maio also said he had "basic" trust in President Sergio Mattarella to find a way out of the post-election deadlock.
Talks led earlier this month by Mattarella and this week by Senate Speaker Maria Elisabetta Alberti Casellati have failed to break the post-election deadlock amid a mesh of seemingly irreconcilable demands by political leaders.
Five-Star and the League made strong gains in last month s election at the expense of established parties although no party or bloc won an outright majority.
Five-Star is Italy s biggest party after the March ballot while the centre-right bloc led by far-right League party leader Matteo Salvini has the most parliamentary seats.
Both Five Star and the League have claimed first bid to try and form a government. But negotiations have floundered over Di Maio s rejection of a tie-up with Forza Italia leader Silvio Berlusconi - Salvini s coalition partner - who has a tax fraud conviction and is on trial for bribery.
Meanwhile Salvini said his party will not join any coalition government with the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) after an apparent overture to it by his centre-right political ally Silvio Berlusconi leader of the conservative Forza Italia party.
"Berlusconi is wrong to say that we need to bring the PD into a government " Salvini said referring to remarks made an interview on Friday by Berlusconi to La7 TV channel s L Aria che tira programme.
"He is not respecting the wishes of Italians and if this happens it will be without the League " Salvini said at a furniture fair in Milan.
"I want nothing to do with Matteo Renzi s PD " he said referring to the party s outgoing leader who resigned after the centre-left alliance came third in the election winning just 18 percent of votes in the ballot - its worst-ever result.
--IANS/AKI
vd
