by Alessandra Cardone
ROME, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Two Italian populist parties are calling for protests to be held in the next days, as prime minister-designate Carlo Cottarelli is at work to outline a technocrat cabinet to lead the country until early elections.
Anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) and far-right League appealed on their base of supporters to take to the streets across the country, after their bid to form a government failed over the weekend.
Their attempt collapsed after president Sergio Mattarella refused to confirm Paolo Savona, a Eurosceptic economist, as finance minister, as the two parties had proposed.
That veto brought about the resignation of the M5S-League's PM-candidate, law professor Giuseppe Conte, and Mattarella gave mandate to Cottarelli to form a technical cabinet, in order to end a stalemate that lasts since inconclusive elections on March 4.
This step sparked the furious reaction of the two political forces, which run as rivals in the campaign, but then tried to forge an alliance as the two most voted parties in the election.
Both accused president Mattarella to be at the service of financial lobbies, credit rating agencies, and major countries in the European Union (EU) such as Germany and France.
"We cannot just stand by and watch," an angry Luigi Di Maio, the 31-year-old M5S' leader, said in a video message on Facebook.
"It is important to mobilize, and make ourselves seen and heard... We are going to organize peaceful, symbolic demonstrations in the Italian cities," he said.
Di Maio appealed on supporters to especially join a major rally in Rome on June 2, a date that marks Italy's Republic Day and is usually devoted to official celebrations.
He also pledged to push for the president's impeachment according to Article 90 of the constitution, a procedure that would involve both parliament and constitutional court.
"After what has happened, Italy needs a president that chooses (to stand by) the citizens, and not the rating agencies, the banks, or Germany's interests," Di Maio said.
The leader of anti-immigrant League, Matteo Salvini, accused the president and Italian mainstream media of obstructing the popular will.
"In the last three weeks, some 90 percent of the news media has attacked and insulted our government, before it was even born," Salvini told state radio broadcaster RAI Radio 1.
"These things happen in a regime, and I wonder whether someone did not want our government to start whatsoever."
Salvini did not openly endorse the call for a presidential impeachment launched by his ally. Yet, the League had already planned happenings with supporters in many Italian cities on June 2-3.
"I thought I would be there explaining the program of our new government in charge. Instead, I will discuss what has happened in these days," Salvini said.
Both League and M5S were adamant about rejecting Carlo Cottarelli's current attempts to form a technical cabinet to manage the country's current affairs until snap elections are called.
The two parties, holding the majority of seats in both houses of the parliament, said they would not vote the confidence to Cottarelli's team.?
