bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Bloomberg

As prime minister of Italy for 18 months, Giuseppe Conte, led an unstable coalition of two disparate parties that collapsed in chaos earlier in August. On Thursday, he got the chance to try again.
The government that emerges may prove no more stable than the last one.
Conte, 55, has been tasked by Italy’s president with forming a government supported by the Five Star Movement (M5S) and the Democratic Party, or PD, two long-time rivals who have little more in common than the desire to avoid snap elections.
The only glue that holds them together: “hatred for the League”, according to League leader Matteo Salvini.
Indeed, their unlikely alliance was spurred by the need to avoid an electoral drubbing from the League after Salvini brought down the previous coalition.
With a commanding lead in the polls, Salvini, 46, was counting on a snap vote to take power himself. Instead, President Sergio Mattarella handed Conte a mandate to form another government.
“This is a very delicate phase for the country,” Conte said.
“We need to exit political uncertainty as quickly as possible.”
Conte had zero political experience before he was drafted 15 months ago to act as mediator between the anti-establishment M5S and the rightist League.
Detractors dubbed him “Mr Nobody”. But Conte, who has no political affiliation but is considered close to M5S, carved out a role for himself.
He has also gathered the confidence of some fellow world leaders. President Donald Trump openly endorsed him for a second term after they chatted at the G7 summit in Biarritz, France last weekend.
But analysts have warned the deal between the M5S – which had sworn never to ally with traditional parties – and the centre-left, which has long loathed it, could quickly crumble.

“Any new government formed by these unlikely bedfellows has the potential to be a fairly short-lived affair, given that the onus will now fall on a new administration to implement new EU mandated spending reductions of up to €23 billion this autumn,” said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK.
“These are not expected to be popular and likely to feed into the populist narrative of Matteo Salvini,” he added.
In an early, basic draft of a coalition policy platform, the two sides would ask the EU for flexibility on the 2020 budget deficit to “reinforce social cohesion” in the country, financial daily Il Sole 24 Ore said.
The EU imposes budget rules on member states with the aim of ensuring financial stability in the bloc. It has had a testy relationship with Rome under the outgoing administration, with League leader Salvini blaming the EU rules for impoverishing Italians.
Benito Mussolini’s granddaughter in Twitter feud with comic Jim Carrey
Salvini had promised swingeing tax cuts for 2020 that economists warned could put unsustainable pressure on Italy’s towering debt mountain.
The prospect of a new administration led by Conte has buoyed markets, which are betting that Italy will get a fiscally prudent government that will avoid confrontation with Europe.
However, a coalition pact is not yet a done deal and the incoming coalition still needs to agree on a shared policy platform and team of ministers.
The tentative accord could still unravel with M5S and the PD yet to agree on other top government posts, besides the prime minister’s position, or reveal a common policy platform.
In an added complication, M5S has said it will put any deal with the PD to an online vote of its members.
Many M5S supporters have taken to social media to denounce a pact with the centre-left and a ‘yes’ vote cannot be taken for granted.
Salvini, meanwhile has said his party was confident it would win eventual new elections next year.
“We’re in no hurry,” he said.
Additional reporting by Reuters and Associated Press


Style Edit: Anteprima unveiled nostalgic artistry during fashion month

Ukraine protests Russia’s participation in Venice Biennale

Macron to visit Cyprus, French warships deployed as war in Middle East rages

How far could the war with Iran spread beyond the Middle East?

Italy

Italy’s ‘Mr Nobody’ ex-PM Conte is back, gets second shot at governing

Giuseppe Conte said after meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella that he would meet with the parties immediately in a bid to establish political stability as quickly as possible. Photo: AFP

Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini meets the journalists at the end of a security conference in Castel Volturno, southern Italy, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019. (Cesare Abbate/ANSA Via AP)

Italy PM Giuseppe Conte resigns, launches blistering attack on deputy Matteo Salvini

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, left, and deputy PM Matteo Salvini. Photo: AFP

The anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) supporters demonstrate in front of the Senate as Italy's Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte arrives on August 20, 2019 in Rome. - Italy's Premier Conte says to offer resignation during his speech at the Senate after calling Italy's far-right Interior Minister "irresponsible" to spark a political crisis by pulling the plug on the governing coalition. (Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP)

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte touches Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini's shoulder as he delivers a speech at the Italian Senate. Photo: AFP

Benito Mussolini’s granddaughter in Twitter feud with comic Jim Carrey

Italy's conservative leader Silvio Berlusconi and Azione Sociale (Social Action) leader Alessandra Mussolini hold a final campaign rally ahead of April 13-14 election on April 10, 2008 in Rome. Self-made billionaire Berlusconi, winner or runner-up in four past elections, had a comfortable edge in final voter surveys published 10 days ago. AFP PHOTO / Alberto Pizzoli (Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI / AFP)

BTM8532: MUSSOLINI-FILE PHOTO 1930s-Italian dictator Benito Mussolini is shown with a group of officers in a mid-1930s file photo. F8532/CREDIT: THE BETTMANN ARCHIVE //

Member of the European Parliament Alessandra Mussolini, the granddaughter of Italian wartime dictator Benito Mussolini. Photo: Reuters

News

World

Europe


Italy’s president has given the recently resigned premier, Giuseppe Conte, a fresh mandate
Comes as populist 5-Star Movement and centre-left Democrats form an unlikely alliance



Italian President Sergio Mattarella gave ex-premier Giuseppe Conte a mandate to form a new government, following a deal to stave off snap elections.


Italy’s ‘Mr Nobody’ ex-PM Conte is back, gets second shot at governing

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} Italy’s president has given the recently resigned premier, Giuseppe Conte, a fresh mandate Comes as populist 5-Star Movement and centre-left Democrats form an unlikely alliance

Italy’s president has given the recently resigned premier, Giuseppe Conte, a fresh mandate

Comes as populist 5-Star Movement and centre-left Democrats form an unlikely alliance