Italy’s president has proposed a “neutral” government to lead the country until the end of the year after declaring there was no hope for a workable political alliance and that Italy could not wait any longer for leadership.

However, Italy’s two largest parties – the far-right League and anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) – immediately came out against the proposal, raising the likelihood of an unprecedented immediate return to the polls, even as early as July.

Two months after the inconclusive 4 March election, President Sergio Mattarella urged Italy’s deadlocked political leaders to back the “government of service” until at least the budget was passed by 31 December. He said that calling elections any time before 2019 would expose Italy to undue risks.



Mattarella did not propose any names for the neutral government, but stressed that its leaders would not be allowed to run in a subsequent election and would resign if a political majority could gel in parliament some time before new balloting was called.

“I hope that various forces have a positive response by assuming their responsibilities in the interests of Italy,” he said.

A clearly frustrated Mattarella has tried for weeks to break the impasse that resulted after Italians gave the centre-right coalition 37%, M5S 32%, and the ruling Democratic party its worst result in history with 19%.

Various proposals for alliances failed, primarily after League refused to split with former premier Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia to enter into a coalition with the M5S.

The M5S leader, Luigi Di Maio, said on Monday he would never support a technical government and repeated his call for an election as early as June. He tweeted: “[We have] no faith in a ‘neutral’ government, which is synonymous with a government of technocrats. We are going to vote in July.”

Matteo Salvini, the leader of League, said: “There is no time to lose, there is no space for technocrat government.”

Mattarella said elections over the summer would be impractical because so many Italians would be on holiday, and risky in the autumn because there might not be enough time to approve the annual budget.

Pitching for a neutral government that could lead until December, he said Italy needed a functioning government immediately because of pressing decisions coming up in June regarding the EU budget and immigration matters. Mattarella said the current caretaker government of premier Paolo Gentiloni had run its course after the Democrats lost their majority.

“The parties have repeatedly asked for more time to try to find an agreement,” Mattarella said after a day of last-ditch consultations. “In the meantime lacking an agreement, I hope they will agree via a confidence vote to give birth to a neutral government. A government of service.”