Political "brinkmanship" was used to describe comments made by Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti in an article published in the Financial Times on Tuesday.

Honing in on controversial comments reportedly made by the former economics professor during a televised interview, the UK-published newspaper indicated that Monti's remarks could be a ploy to try and draw votes from undecided centre-left leaning voters.

"With this coalition of the left, I do not have and will not have anything in common," Monti was cited by the newspaper as having said on a TV show.

The paper suggested that supporters of his centrist party had interpreted these comments as an attempt by Monti to distance himself from the centre-left party led by Pier Luigi Bersani so as to attract centre-right voters away from former Premier Silvio Berlusconi.

However, the paper reported that the pundits were warning that policy differences between Monti and Bersani's Democratic Party meant that agreement on a coalition could not be taken as a foregone conclusion.

Italy has the Eurozone's third largest economy and faces the significant challenge in paying off a £2.0trn public debt.

While polls officially stopped publishing popularity rankings of the candidates on February 8th, economists and financial experts have been weighing in on possible government arrangements post election day.

The FT reported that the Lower House - one of two key political decision -making bodies in Italy - was expected to get a majority centre left presence. But it added that pundits were less certain of the likely outcome in the Senate - the other political house - with a majority centre-left government not seen as a forgone conclusion.

Longevity of next government questionedThe article went on to cite comments made by an Italian investment bank which appeared to question the likely longevity of the next government.

"We think that, realistically, the chance for Italy to secure a solid and cohesive government able to remain in place for the next five years is extremely low," a representative of Mediobanca was cited by the paper as saying.
MF

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