Giachetti says Taverna 'conspiracy' paints M5S as victims

Rome, February 17 - Rome mayoral hopeful Roberto Giachetti of the ruling centre-left Democratic Party (PD) on Wednesday responded to anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) MP Paola Taverna's remark Tuesday that the mayoral candidates put forward thus far are evidence of a "conspiracy" to make the M5S win the elections. "They're always victims of a conspiracy," said Giachetti, who is the favourite to win PD primaries to replace Ignazio Marino, forced out by the PD last year after an expenses scandal. "Ask them, I'm not in their party," he said of the M5S. On Tuesday, Taverna said the centre-right's choice of former civil protection chief Guido Bertolaso to run, and the PD's likely choice of Giachetti, had left her "perplexed". "It's incredible to manage to propose candidates like this to the Romans," Taverna said Tuesday in an interview on Radio Cusano Campus. "I'm thinking there might be a conspiracy underway to make M5S win in Rome," she said. Taverna said given that Italian Premier Matteo Renzi and Lazio Regional Governor Nicola Zingaretti are both members of the PD, and since Rome depends on state and regional funding, the "conspiracy" is to make M5S win in order to "take funds away from and make fools of (the M5S)". Taverna said the M5S would announce its choice for Rome mayoral candidate "next week".