Into the Turmoil of Italian Politics... Prime Minister Conte Likely to Resign on the 26th

Possibility of Early General Election Emerges... Focus on Former Prime Minister Renchi Leading IV's Moves

Giuseppe Conte, Prime Minister of Italy [Photo by Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is expected to resign on the 26th (local time), according to a report by The Wall Street Journal on the 25th.

This comes just one week after he won a vote of confidence in both the upper and lower houses on the 18th and 19th. Although he secured the vote of confidence, the coalition led by Prime Minister Conte lost its majority in the Senate. After the vote of confidence, Conte tried to attract moderate opposition lawmakers and independents but reportedly failed to achieve results. Ultimately, it seems he decided that rather than remaining a lame-duck prime minister, it would be better to start anew.

According to sources, Prime Minister Conte is expected to inform President Sergio Mattarella of his intention to resign on the 26th. President Mattarella is then expected to explore the possibility of forming a coalition government centered around party leaders. If it is judged that forming a coalition is difficult, an early general election is likely to be declared. Amid the economic turmoil caused by the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), Italy is thus heading back into political turmoil.

The coalition led by Prime Minister Conte currently consists mainly of the anti-establishment party Five Star Movement (M5S) and the center-left Democratic Party (PD). The coalition lost its majority after 'Italia Viva (IV),' which had been part of the coalition, left due to policy differences.

The leader of IV is former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. IV is a centrist party founded in September 2019 by members who left the Democratic Party.

Prime Minister Conte and former Prime Minister Renzi clashed over how to use the COVID-19 recovery funds provided by the European Union (EU).

Attention is focused on what choice former Prime Minister Renzi will make after Conte’s resignation. IV currently holds 30 seats in the 630-seat Chamber of Deputies and 18 seats in the 321-seat Senate. However, the party’s support rate is only 3%. The party could shrink further if a general election is held. Therefore, there is a possibility that former Prime Minister Renzi might rejoin the coalition to seek political benefits. The Five Star Movement and the Democratic Party still support Prime Minister Conte.

Prime Minister Conte took office in June 2018. After the March 2018 general election, the Five Star Movement, which formed a coalition with the far-right party Lega, nominated Conte as prime minister. When the far-right Lega party withdrew from the coalition in 2019, Conte skillfully brought the Democratic Party in as a new coalition partner for the Five Star Movement.