Casellati's ‘exploratory mandate’ doomed to fail

ROME – Forza Italia’s Elisabetta Casellati is due to report to the Quirinale on Friday with regard to the ‘exploratory mandate’ Italian President Sergio Mattarella entrusted her with.

 On Wednesday, Casellati was given the task of finding common ground between the centre-right and Five Star Movement, in the hope of ending the political stalemate that has ensued since March’s inconclusive elections.

 Given the short timeframe and difficult nature of the job, this mandate has been deemed most likely to fail. If indeed it does, Italian President Sergio Mattarella will be left with no other option but to start negotiations between the Democratic Party and Five Start Movement.

 Casellati’s mandate was meant to explore the possibility of a coalition between the centre right alliance and Five Star Movement, as communicated by Ugo Zampetti, Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic, who announced that she had been assigned the task of “verifying the existence of a parliamentary majority” between these parties.

 Heavy question marks, however, still clouded over the prolonged government-formation process, cited as a hopeless mission by political experts, given that Five Star to date had officially excluded governing with Forza Italia.

 The League had similarly ruled out joining a coalition without Silvio Berlusconi’s party, therefore Casellati’s selection didn’t bring any immediate clarity on a resolution.

 A League party statement embraced Casellati’s appointment, describing it as “positive” for their party, “because the perimeter of centre right/5-Star government is exactly what the Italian people decided.”

 M5S leader Luigi Di Maio, however, proved less optimistic that this would bring an immediate resolution. He thanked Mattarella and conveyed his best wishes to Casellati in her role, but reaffirmed his party’s stance in a Facebook video.

 “We will present our positions and our proposals, consistent with what we have said in recent days, to the Senate Speaker,” Di Maio said.

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