President Sergio Matarella of Italy has given the Prime Minister-designate, Giuseppe Conte, the mandate to form a new government.
Over the last few weeks, the Italian government has been rocked by a political crisis that threatened a return to the polls. The coalition government of Five Star Movement (M5S) and the League Party, which Conte led, collapsed. Conte, himself, resigned as Prime Minister last week, preventing a scheduled confidence vote.
The New Government
Conte is now expected to lead a government involving a coalition of M5S and the Democratic Party after the two blocs reached a deal. However, this new government has been met with scepticism as the two blocs have traditionally been political foes with very little in common.
Francesco Galietti, head of the Policy Sonar risk consultancy and a former Finance Ministry official said: “It is not going to last. The cracks are already there, so the foundations of this building are very weak.”
The agreement has also caused unease within both parties and critics now believe the coalition may not last. According to former Industry Minister Carlo Calenda, “A combination of weakness within the Democratic Party and the profound differences with Five Star will not bring anything good to Italy or the party.” Calenda, a member of the Democratic Party, has also announced he will quit the party.
Al Jazeera reported that Senator Gianluigi Paragone (M5S) has also promised to quit his party over the alliance, a move that will weaken the coalition’s numbers in parliament.
Other Obstacles
Five Star and the Democratic Party fall short of the absolute majority in parliament. The government would need the backing of other members in the parliament to pass a confidence vote it needs to take office. This could, however, present a problem in the future. “It could become a fatal flaw when bills regarding particularly divisive issues such as immigration get put before the house,” Al Jazeera notes.
If the coalition collapses, a snap election could still be held later in the year. However, given their recent opinion poll ratings, an election would not favour either party.
