Two anti-establishment leaders declared readiness to govern Italy, the move is sending ripples across the euro zone after voters relegated mainstream parties to the sidelines in delivering a hung parliament.
With the EU27 third-largest economy seemingly facing prolonged political instability, the anti-immigrant Lega Nord claimed the right to rule after its center-right alliance won the largest bloc of votes.
“We have the right and duty to govern,” Lega Nord leader Matteo Salvini said at news conference, explaining that the investors should have no fear, as the prospect of a eurosceptic-led administration promising to ramp up spending hit shares, bonds and the euro.
Minutes later, the head of the biggest single party, the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S), said it was ready to lead the country.
“We’re open to talk to all the political forces,” Luigi Di Maio said in a statement.“We feel the responsibility to give Italy a government (as) … a political force that represents the entire nation.”