ROME (Reuters), 22 Aug, 2019 - Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella wants political parties to reach a deal to form a new coalition government in the next few days if they want to avoid snap elections, a source close to him said on Thursday.  

The president has started consultations to find a new government after the ruling coalition collapsed and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte resigned this week.  

On Thursday, Mattarella will meet delegations from the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) and the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, which could forge a new ruling coalition.  

The president wants clear signals of a possible deal on Thursday and to see major developments by early next week, the source said. Conte had overseen a coalition comprising 5-Star and the League, a far-right party led by Interior Minister Matteo Salvini who declared the alliance unworkable this month.  He called for early elections, hoping to cash in on his surge in opinion polls.