INTERVIEW Italy's Five Star ready to capitalize on post-Trump anti-elite mood By Alvise Armellini, dpa = Luigi Di Maio is a leading light of one of Europe's biggest anti-establishment forces, and a probable prime ministerial candidate. He talks to dpa about the "Trump effect" on Europe and the need to hear the anger felt by Western electorates. Rome (dpa) - The European Union will be transformed during the next two years by "angry" voters out to reject the status quo, says the man widely tipped to lead Italy's populist Five Star Movement (M5S) into the next general elections. Luigi Di Maio, 30, spoke to dpa in the wake of Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential elections, which many see as a harbinger of more anti-incumbent results in Europe, starting with the Italian constitutional referendum of December 4. "Trump's victory will be sobering for all those establishment analysts and commentators who had not realized, and perhaps still do not realize, how angry citizens are right now, not only in our country, but in the entire Western world," Di Maio said. Di Maio made his comments ahead of a tour of European capitals that will see him hit Brussels on Tuesday, Paris on Wednesday and Berlin on Thursday. He was already in London and Madrid last week. While there will be no direct "Trump effect" on voting patterns, radical changes for Europe are "inevitable," and will not come "from self-reform, but from election results that will subvert current political trends," he added. Di Maio mentioned looming polls in France, Germany and the Netherlands, where anti-EU and anti-migration opposition forces like Marine Le Pen's National Front and Alternative for Germany (AfD) are expected to do well. The M5S could contribute to EU-wide disruption if its campaign for a 'no' vote in the Italian referendum succeeds, as polls suggest. Prime Minister Matteo Renzi would resign, opening a period of political uncertainty leading to elections by 2018 at latest. "The Five Star Movement is ready to change this country," Di Maio said. "We are lucky to be a young, independent and post-ideological political force; this allows us to tackle the problems affecting Italians without the influence of lobbies, ideology or corruption." His list of goals includes: a referendum on euro membership; an end to sanctions on Russia; renegotiations on Italy's debt; cooperation with Moscow to defeat the Islamic State in Syria and elsewhere; and a rejection of damaging free trade deals among the priorities. In an apparent paradox, the M5S would be more likely to win power if the constitutional reforms it abhors were to be approved, because they are tied to a new election law that maximizes the M5S's chances of defeating Renzi's Democrats through a run-off mechanism. Di Maio said his party had taken a principled position to defend democratic checks and balances. More sceptical observers say the M5S's position will allow it to remain safely in opposition, avoiding the responsibilities of government. With a 'no' victory in the referendum, Italy will be left with different election laws for its two houses of parliament. Unless an attempt is made to make those procedures uniform, fresh elections would likely deliver a hung parliament. Given that the M5S shuns alliances with other parties, the only way out of such a deadlock would be a left-right grand coalition, supporting a government that could be forced to take unpopular measures to tackle Italy's banking and debt crises. Di Maio insisted that the M5S, now polling at around 30 per cent, will be capable of winning power on its own. "We are confident that, once we ask citizens to govern this country, they will put us in a position to do it," he said. Born in an industrial town near Naples, the unflappable and impeccably dressed Di Maio is a counterweight to the M5S' mercurial founder, comedian Beppe Grillo. But the leadership skills of what would be the EU's youngest leader are clearly untested. Entering parliament in 2013 as a university dropout, he has been praised for mastering his role as deputy speaker. But he's also been lambasted for a couple of embarassing gaffes - including claiming that Pinochet was Venezuela's dictator, rather than Chile's. More generally, the M5S' governing credentials have been clouded by the limping start in office of its highest-profile elected official, Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi, who is struggling with internal feuds and organizational problems. "It's to be expected when you are dealing with the most complicated city in Europe," Di Maio retorted. "Our opponents are wrong to criticize us for not solving in two months the problems they created in the past 20 years." # Notebook ## Internet links - [Luigi Di Maio on Facebook](http://dpaq.de/EexRu) * * * * The following information is not intended for publication ## contacts - Reporting by: Alvise Armellini - Editing by: Niels C Sorrells, +49 30 2852 31472, dpa alv ncs 141826 GMT Nov 16 22:12 LOCAL TIME 19:12 GMT NNNN 22:23 LOCAL TIME 19:23 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w269517