On Friday, the 5-Star Moment (M5S) and League agreed together to ramp up spending in a coalition government that, after 11 weeks of political stalemate, could be ready for rollout by Monday should the parties' supporters approve the pact in informal voting over the weekend.

Though some of the more radical-sounding proposals were omitted, the potential of a euroskeptic government could put Italy on a political collision course with the EU.

The deal

The parties agreed to monthly universal basic income-type disbursements of at least €780 ($920) for Italians living under the poverty line.

Taxes on individual incomes would max out at 15 percent; businesses would pay a top rate of 20 percent.

The final version of the document fell short of calling for Italy's exit from the eurozone — a prospect that both the M5S and the League had campaigned on.

Democracy Italian style: The weirdest moments of Italy's election campaign He's back, and this time he's a vegetarian Last Easter, in an attempt to soften his image as he eyed a return to politics, Berlusconi took part in an ad promoting vegetarianism that featured him snuggling lambs in soft lighting overlaid with easy listening music. Although Berlusconi is barred from seeking office for another year due to a fraud conviction, a bloc led by his Forza Italia party has been polling strongly.

Democracy Italian style: The weirdest moments of Italy's election campaign 'No one will marry you' Berlusconi is well known for offensive remarks and belittling women, so it's no surprise he did both in one go on the campaign trail. Earlier in February, he told a BBC journalist that her handshake was too manly; "Otherwise men will think, this one is going to beat me up, and no one will marry you."

Democracy Italian style: The weirdest moments of Italy's election campaign Win (a date with) Salvini! Matteo Salvini of the far-right Northern League came up with a humble publicity stunt – whoever likes his Facebook posts can win a chance to take a picture with "the captain", talk to him on the phone, or meet in private. He was lambasted on social media and by Italy's La Repubblica daily, which wrote: "The captain? Even Silvio Berlusconi in his golden age would envy this kind of self-regard."

Democracy Italian style: The weirdest moments of Italy's election campaign Think about it! If ex-PM Matteo Renzi was hoping to make a big splash with this tepid ad in which — surprise! — he shows up on a bike and tells a family to "think about" voting for him, then he was certainly successful. Just not perhaps in the way he wanted. The staggeringly lackluster TV spot was parodied countless times on social media.

Democracy Italian style: The weirdest moments of Italy's election campaign Just us kids Luigi di Maio of Italy's anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) has repeatedly used his age of only 31 to try and connect with younger voters and is prolific on social media. One of his most cringeworthy attempts to relate to millennial voters came in a video he posted to Instagram in which he said M5S would make Italy "fly high," before "flying" himself in an entertainment complex.

Democracy Italian style: The weirdest moments of Italy's election campaign Pope: Fake news is like being aroused by feces After the US election, the Pope warned about the spread of fake news in Italy and its undue influence. He called untrue, sensational stories "the greatest damage the media can do," in an interview with the Catholic weekly Tertio. "I think the media...must not fall into – no offense intended – the sickness of coprophilia," he said, using a more polite term for an abnormal interest in faeces.

Democracy Italian style: The weirdest moments of Italy's election campaign Prime Minister Oliver? Comedian and pundit John Oliver brought the tumultous Italian election to the attention of a wider audience in one of his famous TV segments, skewering Berlusconi. Oliver's solution to Italy's unwieldy democracy? Encouraging Italian lawmakers to appoint him: "Incredibly, I am far from your worst option," he joked while cuddling a lamb. Author: Elizabeth Schumacher



'You like it?'

"Today we have finally concluded the 'Contract for the Government of Change,'" Luigi Di Maio, the leader of the nominally anti-establishment M5S, wrote Friday on Facebook. "I'm very happy. These have been 70 very intense days."

In the agreement, the parties pledged that "the government's actions will target a program of public debt reduction not through revenue based on taxes and austerity, policies that have not achieved their goal, but rather through increased GDP by the revival of internal demand."

"Days and nights of work ..." Matteo Salvini, the leader of the League, whose "Italians First" slogan aped the catchphrase of Donald Trump's 2016 US presidential campaign, wrote on Twitter Friday, adding a link to the coalition agreement. "Do you like it?"

Dangerous or ineffective? Some commentators fear that the alliance could bring about another extremist government in a country ruled by dominating figures from Benito Mussolini to Silvio Berlusconi — but others say the coalition's plans are more likely to leave the regime bankrupt.

The parties: Founded by comedian Beppe Grillo, the M5S billed itself as an umbrella party for malcontents, including euroskeptics and xenophobes — making an alliance with the League, which now and again strategically sided with right-wing former Prime Minister Berlusconi, an easy choice.

Now what? The rank-and-file members of the M5S and League will hold separate votes on the terms of the coalition over the weekend; party leaders say they will not proceed without approval, but approval is expected.

mkg/rt (Reuters, AFP, dpa, AP)