A 'paralysing' power struggle between the populist Five-Star Movement and the far-right League party over a coalition government is damaging Italy, the acting leader of the centre-left Democratic Party said on Monday.
"The League and Five-Star lare ocked in the paralysis of a battle for power and roles which is damaging the country," said Maurizio Martina.
"So much for a government of change," he said.
Martina's comments came after Five-Star leader Luigi Di Maio said on Monday he had asked Italy's president Sergio Mattarella for "several more days" of talks on a tie-up with the League party, headed by Matteo Salvini.
Mattarella had given Salvini and Di Maio from Thursday until Sunday to agree on a coalition government and report back to him Monday on their progress.
Italy has been in political limbo since the inconclusive 4 March national election in which populist parties made strong gains and the Democratic Party's centre-left coalition came a distant third. It had ruled Italy since 2013.
Five-Star is the biggest political party and the centre-right is the largest bloc in the hung parliament.
If the Five-Star-League tie-up falls through, Mattarella will appoint a caretaker government to oversee a re-vote, probably in the next few months.
