A fight has broken out in Italy’s Democratic party, which badly lost Sunday’s election after ruling the country for six years, as it debates whether it should join forces with populists and create a new government.

The infighting erupted as fresh analysis of Sunday’s election, which resulted in a hung parliament, showed clear links between a surge in support for the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) and regions in southern Italy where economic growth falls far below the EU average. About half of all Italian voters supported the country’s two populist parties , the M5S and the League, the latter of which ran as part of a centre-right coalition, and leaders in both groups are competing for the chance to lead the formation of a new government. No single party or coalition won an outright majority on Sunday, leaving the task of mediating a solution to the Italian president, Sergio Mattarella. What is not clear is how interventionist Mattarella will be and whether he might seek ways to stymie some of the most radical populist campaign promises , such as seeking to abolish a recently passed jobs act.(theguardian)…[+]