Renzi meets with M5S, says not far from election deal

'Our positions not so far apart after all' the premier says

(ANSA) - Rome, July 17 - Premier Matteo Renzi and representatives of his Democratic Party (PD) met with members of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) for a second time on Thursday to discuss electoral reform in what both sides said was a fruitful encounter. "The meeting went well, we found possible openings on many points," Renzi said. The meeting was scheduled after the M5S complained that Renzi had not gotten back to them after an encounter last month over the bill, which is the result of an agreement between Renzi's PD and Silvio Berlusconi's opposition centre-right Forza Italia (FI) party.

Renzi is hoping to see the new election law passed by the end of this year and is seeking the broadest possible consensus on the "rules of the game". The bill, which sets out to replace the dysfunctional system that contributed to the inconclusive outcome to last year's general election and was declared unconstitutional, sets bars for small parties to force them into alliances and limit their veto power, and provides a 15% winner's bonus for a coalition that gets 37% to ensure it has a working majority in parliament.

It also contemplates a run-off vote for the bonus seats if no coalition reaches the 37% threshold. The M5S has presented an alternative bill. The two sides disagree on whether voters get to choose candidates as well as parties: the M5S does, but the PD took that off the table on request of Berlusconi. "We're interested in stability," M5S MP Luigi di Maio said. "We believe parties not coalitions should get a run-off vote for bonus seats, because coalitions are unstable," added his colleague Danilo Toninelli. "I believe our positions are not so far apart after all," Renzi told M5S representatives. "I love Toninelli's idea, but other parties may not".

For the first time since M5S leader Beppe Grillo dropped his hardline stance maintaining that his party would never bargain with established parties, the M5S offered Renzi an alliance on the floor to push reforms through. "With our votes and yours, we could make ballot preferences (for single candidates) and the removal of parliamentary immunity into law," Di Maio suggested.