Italy’s 5-Star chief seeks party confidence vote after defeat in EU elections

The leader of Italy’s 5-Star Movement, Luigi Di Maio, will seek a confidence vote from party supporters after a bruising defeat in European elections, Reuters reports.

The vote will take place online on Thursday on a dedicated platform linked to the party, Di Maio - who is deputy prime minister in a coalition government with the right-wing League - said in a blog post on Wednesday.

“Today, I have the right to know what you think of my actions. I want to hear the voice of the citizens who elected me as political leader a few years back,” Di Maio said.

The League won 34.3 percent of the vote at Sunday’s election, doubling the score of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, which took just 17.1 percent and was pushed into third place by the center left Democratic Party.