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Political crisis: Italian PM Conte makes last-ditch bid to save government

It's make-or-break time this week for Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, as he aims to halt a crisis that could bring down his government.

Political crisis: Italian PM Conte makes last-ditch bid to save government
Palazzo Chigi, the seat of the Italian government, in central Rome. Photo: Andreas Solaro/AFP

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte addressed parliament's lower house on Monday, appealing to lawmakers from outside the ruling coalition to vote for the government and stop it collapsing in the middle of the pandemic.

Conte needs to gather support from lawmakers for his government ahead of a crucial vote in the upper Senate on Tuesday, after ex-premier Matteo Renzi triggered a crisis by pulling his Italia Viva party out of the coalition.

READ ALSO: Italy's political crisis: Why now, and what happens next?

In his speech to the Chamber of Deputies at midday on Monday, Conte warned now was not the time for a new government.

“We risk losing touch with reality… All our energies should be focused on the urgent crisis facing the country,” he said.
 
Italy “deserves a cohesive government”, one with “an essential European mission, pursuing a clear choice of field against nationalist tendencies”, he said, facing jeers and shouts of “go home” from the right-wing opposition.
 
He urged lawmakers from “the highest European tradition, liberal, popular and socialist” to support him, adding: “Now we have to turn the page.”
 
He also defended his government's plan for dealing with the coronavirus crisis as well as Italy's longstanding economic problems.

“From the start I've worked on a courageous design for reform based on sustainability, social and territorial cohesion, and the development of people,” he said.

His government is not lacking support in the lower house, where coalition partners including the Democratic Party (PD) and Five Star Movement (M5S) have a majority.

The real test for the government will come on Tuesday, when he addresses the Senate and faces what will effectively be a vote of confidence.

Conte's government no longer controls the upper chamber after Renzi withdrew Italia Viva's 18 senators, depriving the premier of an automatic majority in the 321-seat house.

“We are working to ensure that the attempt to bring down the government tomorrow is foiled. We are convinced that we will succeed,” said PD deputy leader Andrea Orlando.

But the outcome of the Senate vote, and its consequences, are very uncertain.

Conte has been trying to win the support of opposition lawmakers but is struggling.

Renzi, meanwhile, has said his party will abstain – making it easier for the government to win the vote, but risking further turbulence.

PROFILE: Who is Matteo Renzi, the 'wrecker' of Italian politics?

 

Italian ex-PM and head of the 'Italia Viva' party, Matteo Renzi, holds a press conference at the Italian Chamber of Deputies in Rome. Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/POOL/AFP

What is the likely outcome?

If Conte and partners cannot show they have a solid parliamentary majority, the premier is expected to resign, opening up three main scenarios.

The PD and M5S could patch things up with Renzi, and form a reshuffled government, with or without Conte at the helm. However, this now looks unlikely as the two parties have rejected the idea of working with ex-premier Renzi.

But PD has kept the door open to individual lawmakers from the Italia Viva party – two of whom have said they will break ranks.
 
Otherwise, there could be a new coalition government, probably led by another non-partisan figure (which is how Conte was initially chosen).

Failing that, Italy could end up with snap elections, which would be expected to hand victory to right-wing opposition parties.

Renzi had for weeks been criticising Conte's handling of the pandemic, his plans for a 200-billion-euro European Union recovery fund, and his personal governing style.

Italy tightened the coronavirus restrictions across many regions on Sunday in a bid to control a Covid-19 pandemic that has claimed more than 82,000 lives and devastated the economy.

Italy “deserves a cohesive government” — one with “an essential European mission, pursuing a clear choice of field against nationalist tendencies”, he
said.

Member comments

  1. Renzi is deluded. He is stumbling towards delivering power to Salvini. Italy has been very lucky to have a competent leader during this pandemic. It has been horrific but could have been so much worse with one of the crazy ideologues in power. I hope Conte can hang on.

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TERRORISM

Italy on maximum terror alert over Easter after Moscow attack

Italy was to increase surveillance in busy areas ahead of the Easter holidays and following the bombing of a Moscow concert hall, ministers agreed on Monday.

Italy on maximum terror alert over Easter after Moscow attack

Italy’s national committee for public security, chaired by Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, on Monday said anti-terrorism monitoring in Italy must be strengthened ahead of the Easter holidays, with more surveillance to be carried out at popular tourist spots and at “sensitive sites”.

The committee agreed on “the importance of continuing monitoring activity, including online, by police and intelligence forces for the identification of possible risk situations” in Italy, reported news agency Ansa.

The security meeting was convened following the terrorist attack in Moscow on Friday where armed men opened fire and set the building ablaze, killing at least 133 people.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani had stressed to the public on Sunday that Italy faced “no concrete risk” and said the country’s security and law enforcement services were “always on the alert to prevent any attack.”

“During the Easter holidays you will need to be very careful. We will always do the utmost to ensure the safety of citizens and tourists,” Tajani said, speaking on national broadcaster Rai’s current affairs show Restart.

READ ALSO: Terror alerts: Should I be worried about travelling to Italy?

The fight against terrorism “has nothing to do with the war in Ukraine,” the minister continued.

“We support Ukraine” as an invaded country in which international law has been violated, he said, “but as the Italian government we have expressed our condemnation of the attack [in Moscow] and closeness to the families of the victims and the survivors”.

Cabinet Secretary Alfredo Mantovano said on the same programme that the main terrorist threat Italy faced at the moment was mainly from “lone wolves” and “not so much from organised groups.”

“I believe that a group like the one that acted in the Moscow attack, which must have been trained and had logistical support, would be intercepted sooner in Italy,” he said.

“The most worrying threat” in Italy was online recruitment, he said, noting that propaganda was closely monitored.

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