Luigi Di Maio, leader of Italy's 5Star Movement | Andreas Solaro/AFP via Getty Images 5Star dissidents criticize party leadership in manifesto A group of lawmakers have called for a complete overhaul of the party’s structure.

ROME — Italy's anti-establishment 5Star Movement was rocked on Friday after almost a third of its lawmakers launched an attack on the party leadership, calling for an overhaul of the group's power structure.

The group of 70 lawmakers published a manifesto in which they criticize the "dissolution" of the party's spirit and the abandonment of its founding principles, lamenting that "the movement has renounced its identity" and become a part of the establishment.

The 5Stars entered into a coalition with the center-left Democratic Party last month following the collapse of their earlier government with the far-right League.

Luigi Di Maio, the 5Stars' leader and Italy's foreign minister, has long been the subject of internal criticism for concentrating too much power in his hands. In the previous 5Stars-League government, Di Maio served as deputy prime minister, economic development and labor minister as well as party leader.

"He had three different [sets of] staff and offices, he tried to do everything and he did everything very poorly," said one 5Stars lawmaker, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Last week, Di Maio said he wasn't the subject of his colleagues' criticism and that internal discussions were natural.

However, the group — whose names have not been made public but which, according to three 5Stars officials, includes senior party officials and former ministers — said that the party's structure should be overhauled and there should no longer be a single political leader.

Under the proposed structural changes outlined in their manifesto, Di Maio would have to step down and give way to territorial leadership groups elected by party activists.

The manifesto also calls for the ownership of the movement's online platform Rousseau — a direct democracy tool where party activists vote on policy and decide legislative action — to be transferred entirely to the party. Rousseau is currently fully owned and controlled by digital marketing consultant Davide Casaleggio.

"This is to ensure a maximum degree of transparency specifically on the oversight of online votes," said the manifesto.

Under the party's rules, 5Stars lawmakers are required to donate €300 a month for the platform's operation, but they are unable to manage it or access data relating to consultation votes.

This summer, Rousseau attracted criticism from analysts and the media because the 5Stars made a governing deal with the Democratic Party dependent on the platform's members voting in favor of the coalition.

Spokespeople for Di Maio did not respond to requests for comment.