Salvini says Casellati cd do good job (4)

Rome, April 17 - Senate Speaker Maria Elisabetta Alberti Casellati "can do a good job" if she is given an exploratory government-formation mandate by President Sergio Mattaerlla on Wednesday or Thursday, rightwing populist League leader Matteo Salvini said Tuesday. Casellati is a member of the League's allied party, Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right Forza Italia. Salvini is refusing bids by the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) to get him to ditch Berlusconi to form a government alliance after the inconclusive March 4 general election. The centre right came top with 37% of the vote with the Leauge getting 17.5% and FI 14%. The M5S was top single party with 32.5% of the vote. Casellati has been touted to get the exploratory mandate, as as House Speaker Roberto Fico, an M5S heavyweight, after two rounds of government-formation consultations produced no way out of the post-election stalemate.