The choice of a ¡°political novice¡± law professor as Italy¡¯s proposed prime minister showed the anti-establishment Five Star Movement¡¯s belief ¡°that experts and professionals can replace politicians¡±, according to one academic.

Giuseppe Conte, a professor of civil law at the University of Florence?who also teaches at private university LUISS?Guido Carli in Rome, was nominated?by the Five Star Movement and the right-wing populist League as they joined together to form a government, following deadlock since the election in March.

But Professor Conte ¨C who has described himself as the ¡°defence lawyer¡± of all Italians ¨C now faces claims that his CV overstates the nature of study periods at institutions including the University of Cambridge and New York University.

Andrea Roventini, a professor of economics, had been reported to also be under consideration by Five Star for the nomination.

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On 27 May, Mr Conte withdrew his nomination for the premiership, after Italy¡¯s president,?Sergio Mattarella, vetoed his proposed choice of finance minister.?

Proposing an academic for the post evidenced one of Five Star¡¯s key ideas, that ¡°experts and professionals can replace politicians¡±, said Fabio Bordignon, a political science professor at the University of Urbino Carlo Bo, who has published research on the ¡°normalisation¡± of the party.

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This belief was ¡°clearly visible in the early stages of [Five Star¡¯s] political experiment¡±, although the party had since gone through a more populist phase of calling for ¡°ordinary people [to] replace traditional political elites¡±.

Piero Ignazi, a professor of political science at the University of Bologna, said Professor Conte was notable for his establishment credentials and his nomination was part of a strategy from Five Star and League ¡°of finding an agreement acceptable to the establishment in general¡±.

The New York Times, which first raised questions around Professor Conte¡¯s CV, he ¡°has a long r¨¦sum¨¦ working for Roman law firms and associating with top-ranking Vatican cardinals¡±.

Professor Bordignon said that Five Star¡¯s election manifesto offered a ¡°quite detailed¡± section on universities and research. ¡°It involved¡­an increase of public investments in higher education and a radical revision of recruitment procedures for professors¡±, although the subsequent governing ¡°contract¡± between Five Star and League ¡°seems to offer only general statements on this subject¡±, he added.

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Beppe Grillo, the comedian who founded Five Star, has long showed an interest in ¡°data, theories, scientific innovations¡± in his TV shows, said Professor Bordignon. But ¡°Five Star Science¡±, he added, ¡°seldom coincides with ¡®mainstream¡¯ or ¡®official¡¯ science¡±.

Five Star has often been accused of supporting conspiracy theories, said Professor Bordignon, ¡°for example on the issue of vaccines¡±.

Both Five Star and League have pledged to repeal a law making vaccinations against a range of diseases including measles mandatory for children under 16.

The union of the two parties has previously been called a potential ¡°antiscience government¡±.

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Nevertheless, Professor Ignazi said that Five Star has significant support among students and younger academics, with many drawn away from the centre-left Democratic Party at the last election. But the alliance with the right-wing League ¡°would disappoint these people¡±, he added.

john.morgan@timeshighereducation.com