Italy’s Populists Mobilize in Protest for Early Elections
- Five Star leader calls for demonstration in Rome on June 2
- Political standoff may trigger election as soon as September
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Italy’s populist leaders, incensed by their failed bid for power, began mobilizing for an early election even as premier-designate Carlo Cottarelli puts together a cabinet to present to the head of state.
The disconnect between the pro- and anti-European forces underscores the widening gulf in Italy’s fractured politics that’s unsettling investors. With a general election expected as early as September, the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and the anti-immigrant, euro-skeptic League are heralding an uncertain new period for the euro area’s third-biggest economy.