ROME – Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is close to resigning, but then hopes to form a new government that can count on a broader majority, national newspapers reported on Monday.
“My goal is to reach an agreement that gives a clear political perspective to govern until the end of the legislation,” said Conte, according to the newspaper La Repubblica.
The report added that Conte could hand over his resignation to the head of state as early as Tuesday and then form a new coalition that would attract centrist and so-called “responsible” members of parliament.
There was no immediate comment from the prime minister’s office.
Conte’s government was thrown into turmoil earlier this month when a junior partner, the Italia Viva party led by former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, left the cabinet in a row because of how he was dealing with the coronavirus crisis.
Although Conte survived a subsequent vote of confidence in parliament last week, he failed to secure an absolute majority in the Senate, which means that he will have a hard time approving any political agenda unless he can get new support.
The prime minister appealed to centrist and non-aligned Senate lawmakers to join government offices, but few have responded so far.
Corriere della Sera newspaper said Conte wanted to bring Renzi back on board and was looking to create a “national security government” that would also have the support of some moderate center-right politicians.
Seeking to put pressure on lawmakers, the main governing parties said that early elections, two years ahead of schedule, will be the only way out of the political stalemate, unless a solution is quickly found.