The leader of Italy's anti-establishment 5-Star Movement ruled out joining a coalition with Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party on Tuesday, a day before formal government consultations begin.

Until now, 5-Star had said it was ready to talk to all parties after the March 4 national election ended in a hung parliament.

In an interview recorded by La7 TV channel and not yet broadcast, Luigi Di Maio said 5-Star was open to talks with the center-left Democratic Party (PD), though not to its former secretary Matteo Renzi, and the far-right League, but not with Forza Italia, two 5-Star sources said.

"We will propose a government contract like the Germans do and what is written is done, and what is not written does not get done," Di Maio told 5-Star lawmakers on Tuesday according to a statement.

The move will heighten tensions between the League and Forza Italia, which are partners in a center-right coalition that won the most seats in parliament. Forza Italia had no immediate comment.

"The coalition that won the most votes is the center-right and this is our starting point," League leader Matteo Salvini said on Facebook. "We will dialogue with 5-Star, but reject vetoes or commands."

In the election, the 5-Star followed the center right but was the single largest party, and the PD was third, but no one has enough seats to govern alone.

The 5-Star position will also put pressure on the PD to consider joining a coalition with 5-Star. So far the PD has toed the hard line - set by Renzi before he resigned as party leader in the wake of the vote - to not consider a deal with 5-Star.

"The 5-Star leader's proposal is unacceptable," Andrea Marcucci, the PD's Senate leader, said on Twitter.

Though the sources did not say what reason Di Maio gave for rejecting Forza Italia, the 5-Star has always been hostile to Berlusconi because the party has vowed to clean up Italian politics. Berlusconi has a conviction for tax fraud and is on trial in another case for allegedly bribing witnesses.

President Sergio Mattarella on Wednesday begins formal consultations in which he will try to get rivals to seek common ground and form a government together. He will meet the main parties, including 5-Star, on Thursday.

But more consultations could be held later and the process could take weeks. If no deal can be found, Mattarella may be forced to call a new election.</s>Luigi Di Maio, leader of Italy's 5Star Movement | Filippo Monteforte/AFP via Getty Images Italy’s Di Maio rules out coalition with Berlusconi Populist 5Star Movement leader also called for a German-style government contract.

Luigi Di Maio, the leader of Italy's 5Star Movement, has said the party is open to talks with the country's center-left Democratic party (PD) and the far-right League but ruled out the possibility of governing with Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia, ahead of formal consultations set to begin Wednesday.

"[Far-right League leader Matteo] Salvini needs to choose between the revolution and the restoration, whether to abandon Berlusconi and start to change Italy or remain attached to Berlusconi and not change anything," Di Maio said in an interview with Italian broadcaster La7 late on Tuesday.

The right-wing alliance between Salvini's League and Berlusconi's Forza Italia won the most seats in last month's election, followed by Di Maio's 5Stars, which commands the biggest single part in parliament. The inconclusive election resulted in a hung parliament, with no group able to govern alone.

Salvini has so far refused to break with his coalition partner, and the PD has followed the hard line set out by Matteo Renzi — before his resignation as party leader after the election — to exclude the possibility of a deal with the 5Stars, a move Di Maio called "irresponsible."

Instead of focusing on alliances and coalitions, Di Maio also said he would propose parties form a government contract "like they have in Germany."

"The interest of the country is at stake. Let’s sit down around the table, decide the things to do with a government contract, sign it in front of the Italians, and change the country," he said.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella will meet with party leaders Wednesday and Thursday to hear their proposals for forming a government.

Stephan Faris and Paola Tamma contributed reporting.</s>ROME (Reuters) - The leader of Italy’s anti-establishment 5-Star Movement ruled out joining a coalition with Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party on Tuesday, a day before formal government consultations begin.

Until now, 5-Star had said it was ready to talk to all parties after the March 4 national election ended in a hung parliament.

In an interview recorded by La7 TV channel and not yet broadcast, Luigi Di Maio said 5-Star was open to talks with the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), though not to its former secretary Matteo Renzi, and the far-right League, but not with Forza Italia, two 5-Star sources said.

“We will propose a government contract like the Germans do and what is written is done, and what is not written does not get done,” Di Maio told 5-Star lawmakers on Tuesday according to a statement.

The move will heighten tensions between the League and Forza Italia, which are partners in a centre-right coalition that won the most seats in parliament. Forza Italia had no immediate comment.

“The coalition that won the most votes is the centre-right and this is our starting point,” League leader Matteo Salvini said on Facebook. “We will dialogue with 5-Star, but reject vetoes or commands.”

In the election, the 5-Star followed the centre right but was the single largest party, and the PD was third, but no one has enough seats to govern alone.

The 5-Star position will also put pressure on the PD to consider joining a coalition with 5-Star. So far the PD has toed the hard line - set by Renzi before he resigned as party leader in the wake of the vote - to not consider a deal with 5-Star.

“The 5-Star leader’s proposal is unacceptable,” Andrea Marcucci, the PD’s Senate leader, said on Twitter.

Though the sources did not say what reason Di Maio gave for rejecting Forza Italia, the 5-Star has always been hostile to Berlusconi because the party has vowed to clean up Italian politics. Berlusconi has a conviction for tax fraud and is on trial in another case for allegedly bribing witnesses.

President Sergio Mattarella on Wednesday begins formal consultations in which he will try to get rivals to seek common ground and form a government together. He will meet the main parties, including 5-Star, on Thursday.

But more consultations could be held later and the process could take weeks. If no deal can be found, Mattarella may be forced to call a new election.</s>Luigi Di Maio, leader of the Five Star Movement (M5S), a populist Italian political party, has refused to join a coalition with Forza Italia, a party headed by former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

The move comes a day ahead of talks between Italian President Sergio Mattarella and the country's main parties to discuss the creation of a government coalition.

READ MORE: 'I Remain Director': Berlusconi Reveals His Role After Italian Election

Earlier, Di Maio repeatedly signaled his willingness to sit down with all the parties on the matter in the wake of last month's general elections in Italy.

Forza Italia has yet to comment on the matter, while Lega Party leader Matteo Salvini said that they will have a "dialogue with Five Star, but reject vetoes or commands."

READ MORE: Lega Politician: Italy's Gov't to Focus on Ousting Islamists, Curbing Terrorism

During the March 4 polls, the country's center-right coalition, consisting of Lega, former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia, the right-wing Brothers of Italy and Us with Italy, won 37.48 percent of the vote in the upper house and 36.96 percent in the lower house.

With almost 33 percent, the Five Star Movement, in turn, managed to obtain the largest share of the vote for any single political party during the elections.</s>The anti-establishment Five Star Movement said it’s ready to go into government with any of Italy’s major parties -- except Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia.

As Italy’s president starts talks with political leaders in a bid to break a monthlong deadlock, Five Star leader Luigi Di Maio proposed a government contract with either his fellow populists of the League or the ruling Democratic Party, in an interview with La7 television on Tuesday night, but he also set out his red line: no deal with Berlusconi. Di Maio insisted that he should be premier, a claim that puts him at odds with Matteo Salvini, leader of the anti-immigrant League.

While Five Star is the biggest single party in the new parliament, the center-right alliance led by the League has the most seats overall. Both Di Maio and Salvini have claimed a mandate to lead the next government, though neither has a majority.

“Salvini has to choose between revolution or restoration,” Di Maio said. “He has to decide whether to ditch Berlusconi and start to change Italy, or stay stuck to Berlusconi and not change anything.”

President Sergio Mattarella, whose task it is to nominate a new premier, meets party leaders on Wednesday and Thursday, his first consultations since general elections a month ago. Mattarella is unlikely to designate a premier after this week’s talks, and may hold a new round next week, according to a senior state official.

Di Maio’s remarks did nothing to break the impasse, sparking instead a clash with Salvini’s center-right bloc, in which Berlusconi is a junior partner. Five Star sees Berlusconi, who is banned from public office until next year because of a 2013 tax-fraud conviction, as a symbol of the corrupt political class it rebels against.

Salvini wrote in a Facebook post that he won’t get involved with the Democrats, since they were “rejected by the Italians.” He added the center-right had won most votes “and that is the starting point.” Salvini has ruled out breaking with his bloc to join Five Star.

European Parliament head Antonio Tajani, who was Berlusconi’s pick for prime minister before the elections, accused Di Maio of “anti-democratic methods” in an interview with RAI radio Wednesday, adding he “fails to show respect for the almost five million citizens” who voted for Forza Italia.

The center-left Democratic Party also swiftly snubbed Di Maio after he said it must choose whether to stay in opposition. Di Maio said former leader Matteo Renzi had ruled out a role in the next government “to spite me and Five Star.”

“Dear Luigi Di Maio, we don’t lend ourselves to these little games: whoever tries to divide the PD won’t succeed,” acting party leader Maurizio Martina said in a post on Twitter. His party however is divided on whether to take part in government, and faces a leadership contest in coming weeks.</s>European Parliament president and member of Italy's conservative Forza Italia said on Thursday the party "won't be humiliated by anyone" after the populist Five-Star Movement - the country's biggest party - vowed to shun Forza Italia as a coalition partner.

"We are not prepared to be humiliated by anyone," Tajani told Italian public broadcaster Rai 3's 'White Paper' programme.

Five-Star leader Luigi Di Maio has ruled out governing with Forza Italia due to its leader Silvio Berlusconi's conviction for tax fraud and other legal woes, and has urged the far-right League party to ditch its alliance with Forza Italia and enter a coalition with Five-Star.

Asked if he would become deputy leader of Forza Italia, Tajani replied: "No one has spoken to me about this."

"The party's presidential committee will decide," Tajani said.</s>Rome, April 4 (IANS/AKI) Luigi Di Maio, leader of Italy’s populist Five Star Movement – the largest parliamentary party after inconclusive national polls – on Wednesday rejected political horse-trading in forming a new government.

“The answer is not political alliances and deals, between the various political forces,” Di Maio wrote on the Five-Star Movement’s blog.

“We’ve seen too much of this in the past decades and we know where it has got us: marriages of convenience aimed at divvying up seats in the parliament with a total disregard for citizens.”

Five-Star wants instead to base a government on a list of issues to resolve, Di Maio stated.

“We must do this for the country and for the citizens who have waited too long for a government that can come up with solutions to their problems.”

Di Maio’s post came as Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella began two days of formal consultations with the main political parties to determine if any party or coalition can muster support to form a government after the March 4 national election led to a hung parliament.

Five-Star was the single party with the highest number of votes at 32 percent while the centre-right coalition led by the rightwing League and including former Premier Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia won 37 percent.

Di Maio has signalled his party is open to talks with the centre-left Democratic Party, which lost heavily in March, and with the League, but has ruled out the possibility of governing with Forza Italia.

In an interview with Italian broadcaster La7 late on Tuesday, Di Maio also said he would propose parties form a government contract “like they have in Germany”.

“Let’s sit down around the table, decide the things to do with a government contract, sign it in front of the Italians, and change the country,” he said.</s>Five Star Movement leader Luigi Di Maio (pictured) and head of the anti-migrant League party Matteo Salvini will each meet with President Sergio Mattarella on Thursday. Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/AF

Anti-establishment and far-right leaders will jostle for power on Thursday as they meet with the president for talks on who can lead a new Italian government.

Five Star Movement (M5S) leader Luigi Di Maio and head of the anti-migrant League party Matteo Salvini will each meet with President Sergio Mattarella on Thursday afternoon to make their case for leadership following the stalemate delivered by March's general election.

The right-wing coalition led by the League that also includes former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party won 37 percent of the vote. M5S got the biggest share of any single party with just under 33 percent.

M5S leader Luigi Di Maio made a play for power in the lead up to the consultations, saying he would be willing to work with either the League or the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), on the condition that he take the top spot.

But Di Maio staunchly ruled out working with Salvini's coalition partner Berlusconi, a fierce rival of the M5S.

"Salvini needs to choose between revolution and the restoration. Whether to leave Berlusconi and change Italy or whether to stay with him and not change anything," said Di Maio.

The second day of the two-day consultation process began at 0800 GMT on Thursday with the Democratic Party, whose centre-left coalition came third with just under 23 percent of the vote.

They were to be followed by Berlusconi and Forza Italia at 0900 GMT and Salvini an hour later. Di Maio will be the last leader to speak with Mattarella at 1430 GMT.

After his consultations the president will take some time to decide who, if anyone, can command enough seats to form a government or whether a fresh round of consultations is necessary.

Finding a solution this week will be tricky given how far any group is from a majority in either the lower house Chamber or upper house Senate.

The PD has refused to work with either the right or M5S despite having enough seats to form a government with either.

"Everyone is stuck in their positions and if nobody moves, we will vote again," Salvini told reporters Thursday morning.</s>Rome, April 3 - Anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) leader Luigi Di Maio on Tuesday opened up either to the rightwing populist League or the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) for a possible government but shut the door on any alliance with ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia (FI), Corriere.it reported. The M5S said FI would block all attempts to reform the system. The government would be headed by M5S chief Luigi Di Maio, as "an expression of the popular will" that made the M5S Italy's top party with 32% of the vote - although the centre-right alliance as a whole garnered 37%. This will be the position that the M5S will take into government-formation talks with President Sergio Mattarella on Thursday, sources said. Di Maio explained the position on Italian TV Tuesday evening, telling the Di Martedì show that he wanted to launch a "government contract" either with the League or the PD. The PD has ruled out any alliance while the League has said Di Maio must give up his premiership ambitions for any deal to be made. League leader Matteo Salvini says FI and Berlusconi must come along with him as part of any package.</s>Rome: Italy launched talks on Wednesday aiming to break political deadlock between anti-establishment and far-right leaders and form a new government a month after a general election.

 Despite agreeing last week on the nomination of the speakers in parliament, the anti-migrant League and the Five Star Movement (M5S) have not budged publicly on their demands to be allowed to govern.

 Last month’s election yielded a stalemate: a right-wing coalition including the League and former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s party won 37 per cent of the vote. M5S got the biggest share of any single party with just under 33 per cent.

 M5S leader Luigi Di Maio stepped up the rhetoric in the lead-up to President Sergio Mattarella’s series of consultations, which began at 0830 GMT at the Quirinal presidential palace in Rome and were scheduled to finish on Thursday afternoon.

 Di Maio said on television on Tuesday that he would only deal with either the League or the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), which leads the outgoing government and suffered a collapse in the election.

 He said any deal with Matteo Salvini’s League must exclude media magnate Berlusconi’s Forza Italia, the second largest party in the right-wing coalition and a fierce rival of the M5S. “Salvini needs to choose between revolution and the restoration. Whether to leave Berlusconi and change Italy or whether to stay with him and not change anything,” said Di Maio.

 Salvini responded on Facebook that, unlike the M5S, the League “excludes any alliance with a PD rejected by the Italian public”.

 He reiterated that the right will discuss a partnership with Di Maio “but without being subjected to vetoes or impositions.”

 In any case, both will have to make their cases to Mattarella. Mattarella was to meet the Chamber of Deputies and Senate speakers and political leaders for consultations, with the biggest parties pencilled in for Thursday. — AFP
Ahead of formal talks on the formation of a coalition government, Five Star Movement leader Luigi Di Maio states he is willing to enter government with the Democratic Party and League but not with former President Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party.