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ROME (AP) — Italian lawmakers formally reconvened parliament on Friday without any accord in sight as to the formation of a new government following inconclusive March 4 elections.
Even the first order of business — the election of presidents of the two parliament chambers — proved divisive. The first rounds of voting resulted in a vast majority of blank ballots being cast as lawmakers waited until the threshhold margins fell to start gunning for their candidates.
The process has been mired in conflict, with the apparent collapse of a deal between the two main populist vote-getters — the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement and the right-wing League — to divvy up the two chambers.
As if to underscore the discord, police quickly removed street art that appeared near Parliament overnight of League leader Matteo Salvini and 5-Star leader Luigi Di Maio passionately kissing.
Analysts say even if the League and 5-Stars eventually reach a deal on the presidents of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies, the possibility of an alliance that could govern remains unlikely given the opposition by the League's main ally in the center-right coalition, the Forza Italia party of Silvio Berlusconi, to any power-sharing alliance with the 5-Stars.
"The lack of visibility on the future government is likely to persist for weeks and the outcome of the consultations that will start later this month remains highly uncertain," noted Wolfango Piccoli, analyst from London-based Teneo Intelligence.
The 5-Stars won the most votes of any single party, with 32 percent. The League-led center-right coalition grabbed 37 percent, but neither has enough of a parliamentary majority to govern. The center-left led by the ruling Democratic Party was a distant third in the worst-ever showing by the left.
With the seating of parliament, official consultations are expected to begin soon, but the jostling is expected to drag on for weeks. After sounding out political leaders, President Sergio Mattarella will decide who, if anyone, can reasonably control 51 percent of each chamber to ensure passage of confidence votes.
If none of the victors or any other combinations can cobble together a working majority, Mattarella could sponsor an institutional leader with a limited mandate and term to govern. That could eventually lead to early elections if all other options fail.
"As things stand, we see new elections as the most plausible outcome," said Federico Santi, analyst for Eurasia Group.
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