There is real chaos in Italy’s left-wing populist Five Star Movement, the country’s second strongest opposition party.
Party founder and comedian Beppe Grillo called for a re-vote at the party congress last weekend, depriving him of his leading role as the party’s “guarantor”. Grillo (76) had a contract as a communications advisor worth 300,000 euros per year, which was terminated.
Party members voted last weekend to abolish the role of “guarantor” that Grillo held in 2009 as the group’s founder. She also voted to abolish the rule that allows the group’s parliamentarians to remain in office for a maximum of two terms.
Dispute between Grillo and party leader Conte
The split is the result of an ongoing dispute between Grillo and party leader Giuseppe Conte, who has led the group since 2021 and gradually transformed the former anti-establishment movement into a more left-wing force.
“Grillo has just launched an extreme attempt at sabotage: he has called for a new vote, citing an old clause retained in the old statute. In short, he has moved from direct democracy to the motto: “I am in charge here, and if the majority votes against me, it doesn’t count,” criticized party leader Conte, who headed Italy’s government between 2018 and 2018. 2021.
New mood expected
Conte said he would not object to Grillo’s call for a new vote. It is therefore expected that party members will vote again on Grillo’s guarantor role. It is still unclear when this will happen.
After the poor results in the EU elections in June, in which the Five Star Movement received less than ten percent of the vote, Conte convened a party convention to revive the group. Grillo recently accused Conte of lacking political vision and criticized his strategy, which the comedian sees as an attempt to transform the former anti-establishment party into a traditional left-wing force.
The proposal to ban alliances with other parties was rejected at the party congress on Sunday. This could lead to a permanent alliance between the Five Star Movement and Italy’s largest opposition party, the Democratic Party (PD). This could strengthen opposition to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing coalition in the elections.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
