Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte will resign on Tuesday in a tactical move aimed at maximizing his chances of leading a new government.
Conte will hold a cabinet meeting at 09:00 CET before officially handing over his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella, his office announced in a statement.
Conte survived confidence in both houses of parliament last week after former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi caused a political crisis by withdrawing his small Italia Viva party from the ruling coalition. However, the vote of confidence left Conte with only a slim majority and he has not been able to bolster support since.
With a weak majority, Conte is expected to be defeated in a Senate vote on a court report on Wednesday.
According to media reports, Conte was under pressure from the two main coalition parties – the Five Star Movement (M5S) and the Democratic Party (PD) – to resign provisionally before Wednesday’s vote to have a better chance of receiving a mandate from Mattarella. . to form a new government supported by a broader coalition.
Such a move could depend on Italia Viva’s return to the kraal. Conte, as well as politicians from the PD and M5S, insisted last week that they would not work with Renzi again.
“It is currently unclear whether Conte can succeed in such an effort,” Wolfango Piccoli, co-president of London research firm Teneo Holdings, wrote in a note. “The PD and M5S are internally deeply divided over the negotiations over Renzi. Both parties are also trying to reduce the power that Conte has built up thanks to the pandemic over the past 11 months. ”
Conte was popular for his handling of the pandemic during the first wave, when the country endured a difficult two-month exclusion, but lost credibility due to the government’s haphazard approach to subsequent restrictions and poor financial response to the relevant businesses.
The crisis comes as Italy struggles to emerge from the pandemic and recession. Renzi has been widely criticized for removing Italia Viva, which attracts less than 3% in the polls, from the coalition. He did so over disagreements over dealing with the pandemic and an economic recovery plan after the Covid-19. Italy is expected to receive more than € 200 billion (£ 178 billion) from the EU recovery fund.
If Conte succeeds in forming a broad coalition, it will be his third government in less than three years.
“A new coalition, whether under Conte or another prime minister, remains the most likely outcome,” Piccoli added. “However, it is doubtful that a more effective prime minister and government will appear, given the current parliamentary composition and the preferences of the main parties.”