President Giorgio Napolitano asked centre-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani yesterday to assess whether he can win enough support in Italy’s divided Parliament to form a government and end the political deadlock left by elections last month.

After two days of consultations with political leaders, Napolitano said he had given Bersani a mandate to talk to other parties and see if he can get the guaranteed support needed for a vote of confidence in both houses of Parliament, where no single group has a workable majority.

Bersani will have to report back to Napolitano as soon as possible on whether he can command a governing majority, something which looks extremely difficult at present.

The centre-left leader said he would seek to form a reform-minded government “with the maximum balance and determination.”

The election gave the centre-left control of the lower house but left it short of a majority in the Senate, meaning it cannot govern alone.

Bersani has until now insisted he wants to form a government with support from the populist 5-Star Movement and refused overtures from Silvio Berlusconi, who wants to form a grand coalition between the two traditional political groups.

But Bersani has been repeatedly and rudely rebuffed by the 5-Star leader, ex-comic Beppe Grillo.

Napolitano referred to Berlusconi’s call for a broad coalition but said this formula had failed in December when the centre-right withdrew support from technocrat premier Mario Monti, who had been supported by both right and left.

Napolitano said the coalition that supported Monti had been unable to pass essential reforms, particularly changes to an electoral law which is largely responsible for the current impasse.

Napolitano, giving an extremely unusual detailed explanation of his decision, said Italy must move quickly but carefully to form a government that could address deep economic and social programmes.

He said the election had shown there was widespread discontent with traditional politics in Italy and called for national unity and an end to paralysing conflict between the parties.

If no durable accord can be reached, Italy faces a return to the polls within months, delaying any prospect of substantial reform to its stagnant economy, now stuck in its longest recession in 20 years.