Friday 29th January 2021
Middleman turned on
Italy's government crisis becomes a hangover
The center-left alliance in Italy has failed and Prime Minister Conte has already resigned. He is actually supposed to lead the new government in Italy, but Head of State Mattarella wants a permanent solution to the Corona crisis. A middleman should explore the possibilities.
Following the resignation of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, Italy's President Sergio Mattarella has placed the search for a new government in the hands of a middleman. The President of the Chamber of Deputies, Roberto Fico, should sound out by next Tuesday whether a majority of the groups can come about that had supported the previous government. This was announced by the Quirinal Palace in Rome.
Previously, the prospect of this possibility had arisen in the three-day consultation rounds, as Mattarella said after the talks. Fico, who was ordered at short notice, thanked the head of state for the trust. He must now try to bring those who supported a government under Conte under one roof in order to secure a stable majority.
In view of the emergency situation and the consequences of the corona pandemic, Mattarella wants a cabinet that will remain in place until the end of the 2023 legislative period. Fico belongs to the populist five-star movement and has been president of the larger of the two chambers of parliament since 2018. His name has recently been brought into play again and again when it comes to a possible head of government other than Conte. The 46-year-old is clearly on the left.
On Tuesday, the government crisis picked up speed with Conte's resignation. His center-left alliance had previously collapsed on January 13 with the resignation of the small party Italia Viva under ex-Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. Afterwards, Contes camp narrowly won a vote of confidence in parliament, but was on a poor basis to continue to govern. The resignation was also seen as an attempt by Conte to regain a stable government in a third cabinet under him.
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