Italy hunts for new Prime Minister after Conte's resignation

Italy's prime minister Giuseppe Conte has presented his resignation one week after he sustained two confidence votes in parliament.

Wednesday, 27th January 2021

Italy's prime minister Giuseppe Conte resigned

Italy's prime minister Giuseppe Conte has presented his resignation one week after he sustained two confidence votes in parliament. Conte tendered his submission to President Sergio Mattarella on Tuesday morning following a cabinet appointment in which he told ministers of his intention to do so. What happens now? As is customary, Mattarella's office declared that he had ordered the government to "remain in office to contemporary affairs" in a caretaker role. The president added that he would begin "discussions" with the various political parties, starting with the smallest first, to see whether a new coalition can be formed. The president also can ask different politicians, or an outside figure not currently linked to a legislative party, to try to form a government or call early elections. How did it got here? Conte has been following pressure since his ruling center-left coalition, which he has led for 16 months, lost its bulk in the Senate. That came after the party of former PM Matteo Renzi was eliminated from the group, now including the populist left-wing Five Star Movement (MS5), the center-left Democratic Party, and a left-wing parliamentary group — between arguments over how to spend COVID-19 compensation fund money. President Matterella didn't have to allow Conte's resignation and could ask the prime minister to attempt to form a further stable coalition. On Monday evening, Italian media reports suggested this was the result the prime minister is holding for, with Conte relying on a center-right coalition headed by former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. Some have stated his resignation is an endeavor to withdraw a further parliamentary check at a Senate vote later on in the week and secure his own political survival. Luigi di Maio, the country's foreign missionary from MS5 has indicated that he will remain aligned to Conte. "The country is going over one of its worst consequences ever due to the pandemic and finds itself in an impossible government crisis due to someone's selfishness," he wrote on Twitter. READ MORE RECENT NEWS HERE