Giuseppe Conte resigns as Italian Prime Minister in calculated action

Italy was thrown into a new political crisis last week, when Conte faced two votes of confidence. He survived, but lost his governing majority in the Senate after his predecessor, Matteo Renzi, withdrew his small Italia Viva party from the governing coalition, citing frustrations with the government’s pandemic management and a recession.

Another option to break the deadlock would be to call early elections two years earlier.

“The President of the Republic reserves his decision and asked the government to remain in office for the management of ordinary affairs”, the statement said.

If Conte receives the mandate, he will likely seek a broader coalition and add five more senators to the herd.

Without a Senate majority, Conte would struggle to pass effective legislation at a time of crisis for the European nation, which has suffered years of political instability, in addition to new economic challenges in the midst of the pandemic.

Italy has gone through several political crises since the end of World War II and held many early elections before incumbent governments ended their electoral terms. Conte is the country’s 66th leader in 75 years.

Its coalition, which was formed in 2019, is led by the center-left Democratic Party (PD) and the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S). Despite vast political differences, the unusual alliance avoided early elections that could have favored the far-right League Party.