Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio's reported plans to resign as leader of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S), which co-governs the country, indicate that the party is in a deep crisis that not even his resignation will likely resolve, Paolo Grimoldi, a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies from Lega party, told Sputnik
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd January, 2020) Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio's reported plans to resign as leader of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S), which co-governs the country, indicate that the party is in a deep crisis that not even his resignation will likely resolve, Paolo Grimoldi, a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies from Lega party, told Sputnik.
The Politico news outlet reported on Wednesday that Di Maio planned to announce his resignation after a meeting with top party officials and government ministers later in the day. According to several Italian daily newspapers, Di Maio was no longer capable of coping with the pressure of his duties as both foreign minister and party leader, as evidenced by the M5S' drop in popularity and a wave of party defections.
"It represents a deep crisis within M5S. They are losing deputies everyday two just yesterday. They do not have programs, projects, plans. A few topics in their political discussions are the reason for quarrel between different opinions inside M5S. They are disappearing from the electoral point of view, and I do not think 'to fire Di Maio' will be enough. It will be not so useful to survive longer," Grimoldi said.
M5S won 33 percent of the vote in the 2018 general election but has since lost over half of its support. Moreover, dozens of lawmakers left the party after it entered into a coalition with the center-left Democratic Party.
Di Maio's decision, if confirmed, would take place just days ahead of crucial regional elections in Emilia-Romagna and Calabria on Sunday.
