ROME – The reflective pause imposed by Italian President Sergio Mattarella was brought to a close on Thursday as the League’s Nicola Molteni was appointed chair of the Lower House special committee. Consultations at the Quirinal Palace began with parties representing autonomous regions, leading towards government-formation discussions with the driving parties of last month’s election.

 Luigi Di Maio, leader of the anti-establishment M5S, and the anti-migration League party leader, Matteo Salvini, appear acutely aware of the pressing need for cooperation in establishing an operational government.

Common ground between the two set out strongly with Molteni’s election, amassing 27 votes, and following the agreement for the M5S’s Vito Crimi to hold the corresponding post in the Senate.

 However, the M5S appear no closer to dropping their block on Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia. FI have today responded in similarly disruptive fashion as the party’s Lower House Whip Maria Stella Gelminiadded that there would be “no dialogue” unless the M5S made a “formal declaration” to recognise FI leader, Berlusconi.

 The PD remains highly divided as Andrea Orlando diverged from Dario Franceschini’s announcement that the party “must avoid the M5S-League government for the good of the country” and instead “prepare for a second phase.”

 Orlando contrasted this stance, stressing that, “if the M5S reject the League we are ready to discuss.”

 M5S’s Danilo Toninelli had welcomed the position of the minority faction in the PD, saying that, “we have already proposed to write a government contract together… Obviously, however, we address the whole Democratic Party and expect a unified response from the whole party.”

Yet, a potential deal took a step backwards, now appearing unlikely, following Molteni’s election. The PD’s Andrea Marcucci said Thursday that this appointment “completes the total division of the institutional seats of the Chamber and the Senate operated by the M5S and the centre-right. They went ahead with the bulldozer, expelling the minority everywhere.”

 Matteo Salvini reaffirmed the League’s veto against the PD, citing the “radically alternative” focus of his party.

 However, he remained upbeat about the League's pivotal position in government-formation consultations, adding that they would be willing to singlehandedly take charge if an agreement wasn’t found.

 “If the others are not up for it, there are two paths - we either vote, and I think we can win alone and overtake those who are imposing vetoes and throwing tantrums, or, as a last resort, we could go it alone and take charge of the situation,” Salvini announced whilst supporting the League mayor candidate in Terni.

 The League’s leader noted the differing political ambitions held by his party and the M5S, but underlined several “common ideas,” and will, therefore, be expecting progressive negotiations as the consultations resume.

 On Friday Mattarella is set to join up with his predecessor, Giorgio Napolitano, followed by talks with Lower House Speaker Roberto Fico. The Italian President is then expected to draw the second round of consultations to a close, meeting with Senate Speaker Maria Elisabetta Alberti Casellati.

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