ROME

Italy remained in political limbo Friday as the latest proposal to solve a deadlocked presidential election, spy chief Elisabetta Belloni, sparked a furious row that raised the prospect of a government crisis.

Belloni, 63, would be the country’s first female head of state.

Her candidacy gained traction after the leader of the far-right League, Matteo Salvini, said he was working to give Italy “a female president.”

He was echoed by former Premier Giuseppe Conte, leader of the populist Five Star Movement (M5S).

Comedian Beppe Grillo, founder of M5S, then tweeted: “Welcome Lady Italy, we have been waiting for you for a long time. #Elisabetta Belloni.”

But Matteo Renzi, another ex-premier and leader of the centrist Italy Alive party, said it was “unacceptable” for the sitting head of the intelligence services to become head of state, calling it dangerous for democracy.

He called it an “unprecedented institutional error.”

Other parties including Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s national unity government, Silvio Berlusconi’s conservative Forza Italia, the leftist LeU and the center-right Coraggio Italia, expressed similar misgivings. 

The Democratic Party, another key coalition member, hinted at the possibility of solving the deadlock by reappointing outgoing President Sergio Mattarella, even though he said he wants to retire. His seven-year term ends Feb. 3.