Vulgar, irresponsible, opportunistic, immature. These are just some of the adjectives beachgoers in Santa Severa, a town near Rome, used to describe the motley crew of politicians at the centre of Italy’s latest political drama.

“I’m bewildered,” said Mirella Castracane-Mombelli as she read a newspaper at a beach bar on Friday morning.

“This situation shows that our political institutions are inadequate and do not represent us. They are all just opportunistic. Sergio Mattarella is the only one with a sense of duty and correctness, the only one.”

President Mattarella’s speech to the nation on Thursday night was brief but clear: either Italy’s main political parties come up with a strong new government by Tuesday, or he will call fresh elections.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The beach at Santa Severa. Photograph: Liz Boulter

Italy plunged into turmoil on Tuesday when the outgoing prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, ended the ill-fated alliance between the far-right League and anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S). The collapse was triggered earlier this month by the League’s leader, Matteo Salvini, as he sought to cash in on his high popularity and bring about snap elections.

Salvini immediately started campaigning on the beaches of Italy’s south, an M5S stronghold, urging supporters to give the League the opportunity to “save Italy”.

But after two weeks of game-playing, betrayal and manipulation among their leaders, Italians at the beach at Santa Severa, regardless of their political allegiance, only foresaw destruction.

“They are irresponsible, immature and incapable,” said Francesco Sciarra. “We don’t have professional politicians any more, just those who improvise and insult us. Salvini can’t go ranting to the EU, creating enemies everywhere. They don’t realise the impact all this will have – Italy will end up like Greece.”

Sciarra’s friend, Orlando Liparelli, agreed: “Salvini has only concentrated on immigration, whereas the focus should be on creating jobs – this is what we need to move the country forward.” Liparelli despairs at the possibility of the League and M5S patching things up and resuming government. “They have already made such a mess,” he added.

Salvini failed to factor in the prospect of M5S manoeuvring to carve out an alternative government with its foe, the centre-left Democratic party (PD). The miscalculation and shenanigans of recent weeks have made him look weaker and cost him support: a poll on Thursday by Tecnè put the League at 31.3%, down from the 34.3% achieved in the European elections in late May. At the same time support for the PD has risen from 22.7% to 24.6%, and for M5S from 17.1% to 20.8%.

Recognising the threat of the two parties derailing his plans, Salvini has made overtures to M5S, and said on Thursday that he was available to restore the partnership so long as it got things done.

Meanwhile, negotiations between M5S and PD have been fractious, with the PD leader, Nicola Zingaretti, laying down some tough conditions for a deal, including M5S scrapping the draconian anti-immigration bill that it passed with the League, and being committed to remaining in the EU. He also objects to Conte leading their possible alternative government.

His M5S counterpart, Luigi Di Maio, said on Thursday that his party was striving for a solid majority, but he did not stipulate with whom. The two parties are meeting again on Friday afternoon but Zingaretti has said that unless a “turning point” government can be formed, then the PD is ready for elections.

“With all these coalitions, it’s like asking a cat and dog to get on well together,” said a female beachgoer, who asked not to be named. “Red, green, yellow, blue … whatever the colour, they bring nothing to the people. They only think of their parliamentary seats and salaries.”

And on the prospect of new elections?

“We feel demoralised. Many people won’t vote,” said Daniele Capoccia. Sciarra said: “I don’t know who to vote for any more.”

Salvini may have lost some consensus in recent weeks, but his party will still most probably emerge as the winner in the event of early elections, which might be held in October or November. He could then partner with Brothers of Italy, a party with neofascist lineage that has grown slightly in the polls since May, and Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia in order to make up a majority.

“I can’t stomach Salvini. He is vulgar,” said Castracane-Mombelli. “Many Italians like him as he is authoritative, but in that respect we need to pay attention to history and try to get out of this situation.”