Rome April 27 (IANS/AKI) Italy s centre-left Democratic Party (PD) s leadership will meet next week to mull a possible coalition government with the populist Five-Star Movement acting party secretary Maurizio Martinia said on Thursday after the PD and Five-Star said they were ready to start talks on a coalition government.
"We have decided to convene our leadership on May 3 to decide - as we know how to do as a party - whether and how to launch this debate " Martina said after meeting lower house of parliament Speaker Roberto Fico.
"We recognise and take stock of the fact that important steps forward have been made " Martina said noting that "difficulties and differences" remained between the PD and the Five-Star Movement.
Progress on a tie-up between the PD and Five-Star appeared possible after its leader Luigi Di Maio s on Tuesday ruled out a coalition government between his party and the centre-right.
"It is clear that a centre-right government is no longer a feasible hypothesis " Di Maio said after talks with Fico.
On Monday Italy s President Sergio Mattarella asked Fico to see by Thursday if a Five-Star-PD government could be formed after talks between Five-Star and the centre-right alliance failed.
The talks collapsed due to the centre-right alliance leader Matteo s Salvini s refusal to ditch his far-right League party s conservative allies notably Silvio Berlusconi s Forza Italia party and come to the negotiating table alone as Five-Star demanded.
Mattarella has struggled to break the political deadlock since the inconclusive March 4 national election failed to produce an outright winner. Five-Star is the largest party in the hung parliament and the centre-right alliance is the biggest bloc while the PD - which came a poor third - has the seats to play kingmaker.
--IANS/AKI
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