Grillo sees Belgium as an example

Populist Italian comedian-turned-politician Beppe Grillo has hailed Belgium as proof that a country can function with a caretaker government. Pier Luigi Bersani yesterday gave up his efforts to try and form a coalition, handing in his resignation to president Giorgio Napolitano, who this morning began consulting the various parties to get them to reach an agreement. Grillo, whose Five Star Movement took 25.5% of the votes in the recent general election and who said he wouldn’t join any coalition, said on his blog that Italy could function perfectly with a caretaker government. He called Belgium an example that such a system “works well”.