ROME – Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has resigned, ushering in a phase of political instability that could lead to a new government or election this spring.
The breakdown of Italy’s leftist government comes as the country, like most of the Western world, struggles to control the spread of the Covid – 19 pandemic, vaccinate its population and rekindle economic growth.
The fall of the Italian leader also shows that in recent years the political challenges of Europe – including the fragmentation of the political landscape and the rise of anti-founding parties – have not disappeared, despite the pressure the pandemic is putting on political politicians to across party lines to work together. .
Mr. Conte stepped down on Tuesday after losing his majority in the Italian Senate this month, following a fight with a small coalition ally over the spending of massive funds offered by the European Union to help Italy’s economy recover from the pandemic.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Tuesday in his office in the Chigi Palace in Rome.
Photo:
filippo attili / chigi palace pres / Shutterstock
The head of state of Italy, President Sergio Mattarella, will start political consultations with parties in parliament to test whether a new government majority can be found. Possible scenarios include a government under a new prime minister, or another coalition led by Mr. Conte.
As mnr. Mattarella concludes that no stable majority can be formed, he will dissolve parliament and elect elections.
The government broke up after a small centrist party led by former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi withdrew from the coalition, citing disagreement over how Mr. Conte spent more than € 200 billion, equivalent to $ 243 billion, on EU recovery funds. Italy.
Mr. Conte and his main coalition members, the center-left Democratic Party and the populist 5-star movement, tried to find new supporters in the Senate, the upper house of the Italian parliament. To replace Renzi’s party, but the search yielded little fruit.
Former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has withdrawn his party from the governing coalition in a dispute over EU recovery funds.
Photo:
francesco photos / pool / Shutterstock
However, if in the coming days a new group of centrist senators emerges who are prepared to Mr. To support Conte, Mr. Mattarella reappointed him as prime minister. Many political analysts consider this the most likely outcome. This would be the third coalition government led by Mr. Conte has been led since 2018, when the little-known law professor first entered national politics.
“The standard solution is another Conte government with broader support and significant signs of discontinuity with the past,” said Lorenzo Codogno, a consultant in London and former economist at the Italian Treasury.
Alternatively, a majority in parliament could be formed to support a government under a new prime minister. Renzi’s party, Italia Viva, has shown more willingness to support a government not run by Mr. Conte is not led.
A new prime minister can come from the Democratic Party or the 5-star movement, or he is a politically independent figure with technocratic expertise.
Parts of Italy’s right – wing opposition have called for early elections, but the parties behind the left – wing government want to avoid it if possible. Opinion polls point to a victory for the right wing.
Opponents of the quick election say that in the midst of the pandemic, they will pose health challenges to the public, and will also call on Italy’s efforts to come up with a plan to revive its battered economy with EU funds, postpone.
Write to Giovanni Legorano by [email protected]
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