The anti-establishment party is set to become the largest party in parliament after it took 32 per cent of the vote in Sunday’s election in further signs the nation was taking closer steps to eurosceptic parties leading the country.
But after falling short of the majority to form a government, 5-Star will look to other political parties in a bid to govern.
M5S leader Luigi Di Maio is reportedly looking to snub rival Matteo Salvini’s far right Lega party and is instead said to be setting his eyes on the left.
A M5S official told the Financial Times: “We have to see what kind of space for dialogue opens up with the PD.
“Culturally, alliances are tough for Five Star but probably Five Star plus the centre left would be less traumatic than Five Star plus the League.”
But a grand coalition could be tricky as Matteo Renzi, who stood down as leader of the Democratic Party after suffering huge losses in the election, has already been hugely critical of M5S.
Standing down, he said: ”It is obvious that I will leave the helm of the PD.
“The Italian people have asked us to be in opposition and that is where we will go. We will never form a government with anti-system forces.”
In a blistering attack he wrote on Facebook: “5 Star and the right have insulted us for years and represent the exact opposite of our values.
“They are anti-European, they have used hateful language, telling us we are corrupt, Mafiosi, entrenched and our hands are soiled with blood because of immigration, and I don’t think they changed their mind.
“They should form a government if they can, we are out.”
The prospect of a prominent eurosceptic taking the reigns of the EU’s fourth largest economy is growing ever more certain following Sunday’s election results.
The ruling centre-left coalition trailed a distant third on 22 percent, hit by widespread anger over persistent poverty, high unemployment and an influx of more than 600,000 migrants over the past four years.
While more than 50 per cent of Italians voted for avowedly eurosceptic parties in an expression of rage against the pro-European establishment.
Mr Di Maio’s M5S reached an overwhelming 32.6 per cent of the votes in its favour, making the party the main contender to be given the chance to form a government for the 18th Italian legislation.