Italian Populists Seal Pact to Challenge EU Establishment
- Parties still to say who they’ll nominate to be prime minister
- League and Five Star pledged tax cuts, more spending for poor
This article is for subscribers only.
Italy’s populist leaders sealed a coalition agreement that aims to ramp up spending on the poor and slash taxes in a direct challenge to the European Union establishment.
After 10 days of negotiations, 31-year-old Five Star leader Luigi Di Maio said Friday that he’s settled the final issues with Matteo Salvini, 45, of the anti-immigrant League and their policy platform is ready for party members to vote on. The program, posted online, demands a review of EU budget rules, an end to economic sanctions on Russia and pledges to roll-back pension reforms that raised the retirement age.