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Five Star’s Di Maio Gears Up for EU Vote With New Alliance

Five Star’s Di Maio Gears Up for EU Vote With New Alliance

(Bloomberg) -- Italian Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio on Friday kicked off his Five Star Movement’s preparations for the upcoming European Parliament elections, promising to join forces with four parties outside Italy for a joint manifesto.

During an event in Rome, Di Maio said he plans to team up with Croatian party Zivi Zid, Poland’s Kukiz ’15, Finland’s Liike Nyt and Greece’s Akkel to present a joint political program that will be voted by Five Star’s members online.

"We have here five political forces that have taken up the ambitious challenge to create a new group. We need seven parties to form a parliamentary group, but I am positive as we have contacts with new political forces in Europe," Di Maio said, according to remarks quoted by news agency Ansa. "We do not agree on each point, but the group draws its inspiration in creating a new Europe."

His anti-establishment Five Star is under pressure from declining support in the polls, and a defeat in regional vote in Abruzzo last weekend.

In a blog post this week, Di Maio said the Five Star-League coalition will remain in power for its full five-year term despite clashes with his ally over several issues, including the completion of a high-speed rail link between Paris and Lyon, and how much it would cost.

To contact the reporter on this story: Chiara Albanese in Rome at calbanese10@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alessandra Migliaccio at amigliaccio@bloomberg.net, Kevin Costelloe, Jerrold Colten

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