Leader of the Five Star Movement (M5S), Senator Vito Crimi, addresses the media at the Quirinale palace in Rome on Jan 29, 2021, for a meeting with the Italian president on forming a new government following the resignation of the prime minister. (ALESSANDRA TARANTINO / POOL / AFP)

ROME - Italy’s anti-establishment 5-Star Movement began voting on Thursday on whether to support a cabinet led by former European Central Bank head Mario Draghi, in what could be one of the final steps before a new government is formed.

Mario Draghi, who received the mandate to lead a new cabinet after Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte resigned, has held two rounds of talks with parties to pull together an administration

A host of groups from left to right pledged to support him and he would not need the 5-Star votes to have a majority in both houses of parliament.

However, the backing of the largest group in parliament would help Draghi buildi a broader coalition able to face the country’s twin economic and coronavirus crises.

The 5-Star leadership is urging members to vote yes, saying the party has to lead the recovery of Italy, which expects to receive more than 200 billion euros (US$242.56 billion) from a European Union fund to revive the economy.

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“We have to participate in this new government to defend the policies we introduced in recent years and invest well the EU funds,” said 5-Star outgoing Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio.

Some 119,600 members will be able to vote until 6 pm (1700 GMT) on the Rousseau online platform on whether to back a coalition government which will include a high-powered ministry for ecological transition, one of the key 5-Star demands.

Results are expected after 7 pm, the 5-Star official website said.

Such consultation is usual in the 5-Star for such a major decision and it was initially expected for Wednesday, but party leadership was forced to postpone it due to internal turmoil.

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The 5-Star Movement was born as a euro-protest party and despite its shift to more moderate positions in recent years some of its members are uneasy at the prospect of backing a former ECB chief.

Politicians expect Draghi to see President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella before the end of Friday to confirm he has sufficient backing to form a government and to present a list of ministers.