ROME (Reuters) – Members of Italy’s opposition 5-Star Movement backed a proposal by leader Giuseppe Conte to sever ties with comedian and co-founder Beppe Grillo, after repeating an online vote to reform the party on Sunday.
Former prime minister Conte is seeking to turn the once radical protest movement into a more mainstream left-leaning force. The plan to overhaul the party included removing Grillo from his role as guarantor of its founding values.
A first ballot on the reform package was held late last month, but Conte was forced to re-run it after Grillo challenged the results. Over 80% of voters were in favour of abolishing the role of the guarantor, results of the second ballot showed.
The vote marked the latest in a series of clashes between Conte and Grillo, who still has an annual contract worth 300,000 euros ($317,400) as a communications adviser to 5-Star.
“The 5-Star Movement has re-voted. It has re-voted en masse … This is the disruptive wave of a community that knows no limits or obstacles, where everyone really counts,” said Conte, who assumed the leadership in 2021.
Grillo, known for his outspoken language, has in the past accused Conte of lacking political vision and criticised what he saw as an attempt to turn the once-maverick 5-Star into a traditional leader-centred party.
“In case I don’t see you, good afternoon, good evening and good night,” Grillo wrote on Facebook posting a picture of himself at the top of a stairway in a blue sky, referencing a famous scene in the film “The Truman Show”.
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(Reporting by Angelo Amante; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
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