Rome: President Sergio Mattarella has dissolved the Italian Parliament on Thursday, setting the country on the path to a national election on March 4 that could lead to a hung parliament and a period of political turbulence.
The head of state signed a decree ending the legislative sessions in both houses of parliament, according to an emailed statement from Mattarella's office
"We mustn't dramatise the issue of political instability, which is certainly an issue but rather than being worried about it, we should tackle it knowing that we're pretty much vaccinated against it," Gentiloni said.
"Frequent change of government "is not a recent phenomenon and it hasn't stopped our country growing," he added.
But neither Five Star, the Democrats headed by former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, nor the center-right bloc would win a parliamentary majority, according to the surveys. A possible "grand coalition" of the Democrats and Forza Italia would not have a majority either.
Five Star wants Mattarella, whose task is to appoint a premier, to give it a mandate to try to form a government if it wins the most votes. However, Five Star has ruled out creating a coalition, saying it would instead seek external backing for its policies from all political forces.
Mattarella is under no obligation to hand a mandate to the leader of the party which comes out on top, according to a state official who could not be named. The president may first seek to establish whether parties can agree on a coalition with enough seats to govern, the official added. Mattarella's options also include reappointing Gentiloni to lead a new government until fresh elections.
"Anything I say would be used against me," he said. "I hope that my political group will obtain a great result and that this allows the formation of a government."
Bloomberg
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