The preliminary election results point towards a hung Parliament after no single party or political faction scored a clear majority win.
Initial voting numbers from Italy’s 28 constituencies, two of which have already counted their ballots, indicate an almost 37 percent win for the Centre-right bloc.
The M5S came in second by singlehandedly sweeping up the south of Italy for 32.47 percent o the vote to become the largest single party, followed by the Matteo Renzi-led Centre-left at 23.08 percent.
Mr Di Maio spoke out shortly after leaving his home in Rome today, saying: “Its a beautiful day, despite the rain.
He added: “It’s a historical result and it was an indescribable emotion.”
But broken down, the numbers paint a much different image of how Italians voted on Sunday.
Silvio Berlusconi’s Italy First (Forza Italia) and the League (Lega) where at the forefront of the conservative revival, winning around 14 percent and 18 percent respectively.
The two other parties in the bloc, Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d’Italia) and Us with Italy (Noi con l’Italia) only scraped just over five percent together.
The Democratic Party (Partito Democratico PD) was more successful, carrying its Centre-leftwing with nearly 19 percent of the vote alone. The other parties in the group scored between 2.57 and 0.43 percent.
This means that across the board, the M5S was the most successful at getting its message to the Italian people. But is this enough to put Mr Di Maio in office?
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Italian election 2018 results: Could Luigi Di Maio still secure a seat in office today?
Will Luigi Di Maio win the Italian election 2018?
Under the newly implemented electoral system, parties need to score a minimum three percent of the vote for both houses of the Parliament to enter the Government.
The new rules aim to provide an incentive for small parties with similar views to join hands in coalitions, rather than flood Parliament with many small factions.
But the changes were not welcomed by the M5S which claimed it was being penalised for refusing to enter into coalitions with other factions.
Other players such as Mr Berlusconi’s Italy First used this to their advantage in recent local elections, thanks to a series of small successful alliances.
With the M5S ruling out coalitions, there is no guarantee that Mr Di Maio’s place in office is guaranteed, and the Centre-right bloc is nearing the 40 percent threshold with each ballot update.
It’s a historical result and it was an indescribable emotion
However with the pressure mounting, the M5S could still decide to ditch its “anti-establishment” credo in favour of a coalition to secure its place in Parliament.
Analysts have touted a possible deal with the Centre-right or the League as possible outcome of today’s race.
In fact earlier in January, Mr Di Maio told his staff “it’s the numbers that are forcing us” to consider a coalition with the League.
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Italy elections 2018: If no arty wins a majority the President will need to pick a party
In either scenario, the M5S leader is positive his party is the only right choice to Govern.
He said: “The only possibility for the other parties is to support a Five Star government. We are the only chance of stability. Either they support us or they vote again.”
Matteo Salvini, leader of Lega, today appeared to rule out considering a coalition with Five Star.
He said his party, which won about 18 percent of the vote, would be willing to talk to all parties however, but indicated it would not take part in a “minestrone” soup coalition, apparently referring to a broad coalition government.
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Italy election 2018: Mr Di Maio ruled out any coalitions in the run up to the election
Salvini went on to say he had ruled out “weird alliances” with other political forces, adding: “The center-right is the coalition that won and that can govern.”
If no party or coalition reaches the 40 percent majority threshold by the time the ballots are fully counted mourned 2pm local time (1pm GMT), it will be up to President Sergio Mattarellato to settle the score.
Mr Mattarella will be tasked over several weeks with consulting with each party and Parliament to decide which candidate is best suited to form a Government.
Once his decision is made, he will present his choice to Parliament for a vote of confidence.
Additional reporting by Maria Ortega.