ROME: Rival populist leaders fought Monday for the right to govern Italy after their surge in a general election left the country in political limbo.
The anti-immigrant League party and the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) each claimed Sunday鈥檚 vote gave them a mandate to lead the nation of 60 million.
League leader Matteo Salvini said that he had 鈥渢he right and the duty鈥� to form a government after its surprise success at the heart of a right-wing coalition.
But M5S, which won the biggest share of the vote of any single party, claimed it was the winner. Its leader Luigi Di Maio said it had a 鈥渞esponsibility鈥� to form a government.
With most ballots counted, the League was leading the dominant right-wing coalition, which won roughly 37 percent of the vote overall.
The League by itself was closing in on 18 percent, ahead of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi鈥檚 Forza Italia (Go Italy) party, which collapsed to 14 percent.
Salvini鈥檚 party surged in the polls after promising to shut down Roma camps, deport hundreds of thousands of migrants and tackle what it called 鈥渄anger鈥� of Islam.
鈥淚talians have chosen to take back control of the country from the insecurity and precariousness put in place by (center-left Democratic Party leader Matteo) Renzi,鈥� Salvini told a press conference.
However much depends on M5S, which has drawn support from Italians fed up with traditional parties and a lack of economic opportunity.
It won 32 percent of the vote.
The M5S had previously refused to align itself with other parties, which it considered part of a 鈥渃orrupt鈥� system.
But Di Maio said his party now 鈥渇eels the responsibility to form a government.鈥�
To that end, he said he was 鈥渙pen to discussion with all political actors.鈥�
鈥淭his election was a triumph for the Five Star Movement. We are the winners,鈥� a joyous Di Maio told a news conference conference on Monday.
鈥淢ore than half of voters in some regions have voted for the Movement,鈥� he added.
According to polling company YouTrend, the M5S was set to gain 231 seats in the lower house Chamber of Deputies and 115 in the upper house Senate.
It could therefore form a majority with either one of the League, Forza Italia and the Democratic Party (PD).
Given its heated rivalry with the PD and Berlusconi, M5S鈥檚 most likely ally looked to be the euroskeptic League.
However Salvini swiftly ruled out the prospect of forming a coalition with the M5S.
鈥淣. O. No, underlined three times,鈥� Salvini told reporters.
Di Maio responded to Salvini by saying that 鈥渨e represent the whole nation, from Val D鈥檃osta to Sicily. The others can鈥檛 say that.鈥�
The boost for far-right and populist parties has prompted comparisons to Britain鈥檚 vote to leave the European Union and the rise of US President Donald Trump.
Prominent British pro-Brexit figure Nigel Farage congratulated the Five Star Movement, his allies in the European Parliament, 鈥渇or topping the poll鈥� as by far Italy鈥檚 biggest single party.
Resentment at the hundreds of thousands of migrant arrivals in Italy in recent years fired up the campaign, along with frustration about social inequalities.
鈥淭hese are historic results,鈥� Giancarlo Giorgetti, deputy head of the League, told reporters in Milan.
Alessandro Di Battista, another senior Five Star leader, said: 鈥淓veryone is going to have to come and speak to us.鈥�
PD leader Renzi looks doomed after his party dropped to 19 percent of the vote.
鈥淭he populists have won and the Democratic Party has lost,鈥� PD lawmaker Andrea Marcucci admitted.
Berlusconi, a flamboyant three-time former prime minister, is on the ropes after his electoral flop.
The billionaire, who won his first election in 1994, has returned to the limelight at the age of 81 despite a career overshadowed by sex scandals and legal woes.
But he has turned out to be the big loser alongside Renzi.