ROME – Roberto Fico will meet with both the Five Star Movement and the centre-left Democratic Party’s delegations at 14:30 on Tuesday, in the hope of establishing common ground between the two.

 This was decided after the meeting that took place at the Quirinal Palace on Monday, where Mr. Fico received an exploratory mandate by Italian president Sergio Mattarella.

 Mr. Mattarella has given the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies until Thursday to reach a conclusion. He reportedly said to Fico: “After almost two months on from the elections of March 4, we must underline the duty to give Italy a government as soon as possible.”

 After his meeting with Mattarella, Fico said: "In my opinion, the fundamental point is to begin with the country's themes of interest and the country's agenda of interest". 

 Leader of the Five Star Movement, Luigi Di Maio, has so far failed to convince Matteo Salvini’s Northern League Party to abandon Berlusconi’s Forza Italia, in the hope of forming an anti-establishment government. 

 With regard to this proposition, Salvini refused to meet a deadline set by Di Maio to abandon Berlusconi’s party.

 The Democratic Party’s leader, Maurizio Martina, has expressed that he is willing to negotiate with Di Maio, if he gives up trying to form an alliance with the Northern League Party.

 fct