President Giorgio Napolitano is considering appointing a new technocrat government led by a non-politician as one way out of Italy’s political stalemate, sources said on Tuesday.

Such a solution would come into play if centre-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani failed to form a govt after receiving an initial mandate from Napolitano, as is expected, they said. Bersani won a majority in the lower house of parliament and says he has the right to be the first to try to form a government, although he has no workable majority in the Senate. However, 5-Star Movement leader Beppe Grillo responded to speculation about a technocrat govt in Italian media on Tuesday by saying he would not support such an administration.