Italy's Senate speaker Maria Elisabetta Alberti Casellati on Friday admitted failure in her two-day role as mediator in talks on a coalition government between the populist Five-Star Movement and the centre-right alliance. Head of state Sergio Mattarella would now find "the best way forward," Casellati stated.
"Over the last few days I performed the mandate entrusted to me with dedication, trying to favour constructive dialogue between the political parties capable of producing a parliamentary majority," Casellati said after reporting back to Mattarella on the two days of exploratory talks.
"Our discussions, despite differences of opinion, threw up topics for reflection among the political forces," Casellati added.
"Mattarella will be able to identify the best way forward," she said.
At the end of the talks mediated by Casellati, Five-Star's leader Luigi Di Maio had announced a German-style "contract" of government with the far-right League party led by Matteo Salvini was "possible".
But Di Maio ruled out a coalition government with the League's two alliance partners, the conservative Forza Italia party of ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi and the rightwing Brothers of Italy party, led by Giorgia Meloni, although he said he would not be "hostile" to external support from these two parties.
Mattarella on Wednesday gave Casellati her mandate to hold 48 hours of talks with Five-Star and the centre-right after he held two rounds of fruitless talks this month with Italy's political leaders on forming a coalition after the inconclusive 4 March national election.
The main stumbling block to ending the political deadlock has been Di Maio's refusal to govern with Berlusconi, who has a tax fraud conviction and is on trial for bribery, and the Five-Star leader's insistence that he must be premier.
Five-Star emerged as Italy's biggest party after the election while the centre-right bloc lead by Salvini has most parliamentary seats.
Five-Star and the League made strong gains in the national election, although no party or bloc won an outright majority.
