by Alessandra Cardone

ROME, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Italian Prime Minister-designate Carlo Cottarelli and President Sergio Mattarella on Wednesday continued mulling options to seek a way out of the political crisis engulfing the country.

Economist Cottarelli was seen entering the presidential palace in early morning, and leaving without comment.

According to Ansa news agency, citing a presidential source, he had a short informal talk with the head of state to update him on the situation.

The two had an official meeting on Tuesday as well, when Cottarelli was expected to unveil the line-up of a technocrat cabinet he was tasked to form one day before.

Yet, he did not hand in his list of technical ministers to the head of state, having failed so far to secure the necessary support in parliament for such an executive.

Meanwhile, major parties have called for snap elections as early as on July 29, over four months only after a national vote held on March 4 proved inconclusive.

Cottarelli's mandate followed an aborted attempt by two populist parties -- anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) and far-right League -- to form a coalition.

The two populist parties had received the majority of votes in the last ballot.

Their attempt failed after president Mattarella nixed the nomination of a Eurosceptic economist as finance minister, as M5S and League wanted, and the two parties refused to change their pick, dropping their bid on Sunday.

Having already explored in vain any other chance of coalition, during long consultations with all parties, the head of state on Monday gave mandate to Cottarelli -- a top economist with a long experience in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) -- to select a caretaker cabinet.

As the perspectives for Cottarelli were still very unclear on Wednesday, major Italian newspapers reported three different options to exit this stalemate might now be on the ground.

The first and most drastic solution was for the president to immediately dissolve parliament and call for elections in late July, as most parties have asked.

A second one would be to let Cottarelli form a cabinet, and give him only a "technical confidence" in parliament in order to pass a 2019 budget only, and then go to polls in October.

A third more unexpected alternative could be a revival of the M5S-League coalition.

A political government would be formed, in this case, but putting guarantee figures in key economic posts -- such as the treasury ministry -- to reassure European partners and international markets on the stability of Italy's public finances and adherence to the euro currency.

A partial confirmation to this option came by Cottarelli, according to Repubblica newspaper.

"During his activity as Prime Minister-designate, some new possibilities for the formation of a political government have emerged," the daily quoted Cottarelli's staff as saying in a message.

"This circumstance -- also considering the tension on the markets -- led him (Cottarelli) to wait for possible further developments, in agreement with the president," it added.