ROME – Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte surrendered his resignation to the head of state on Tuesday, hoping he would have the opportunity to form a new coalition and rebuild his parliamentary majority.
The worsening political crisis is taking place against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic, which killed more than 85,000 Italians – the second highest death toll in Europe after Britain and the sixth highest in the world.
Conte lost an absolute majority in the Senate of the Upper House last week when a junior partner, the Italia Viva party led by former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, resigned due to the way the government dealt with the coronavirus crisis and the recession economical.
Efforts to attract independent and center senators to the coalition to fill the hole left by Renzi have had little success, leaving Conte with no choice but to resign and open a formal government crisis that will give him more time to find a deal.
President Sergio Mattarella will begin a quick round of consultations with party leaders on Wednesday afternoon to test the political waters, his office said.
If he thinks Conte can secure the support needed to set up a new government, the president will probably give him a few days to try to finalize a deal and write a new cabinet.
So far, the main coalition parties – the 5-star anti-establishment movement and the center-left Democratic Party (PD) – have supported Conte’s efforts to remain in power.
“Count is the essential element and we need to expand and relaunch government action,” Debora Serracchiani, the deputy head of the PD, told the state broadcaster RAI.
However, if Conte fails to find new allies, Mattarella will have to present an alternative candidate considered capable of building a viable coalition.
If all else fails, the president will have to call an election two years ahead of schedule, although political analysts say this is the least likely scenario.
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The coronavirus crisis in Italy triggered its worst recession since the Second World War and the government has been struggling to devise a plan on how best to spend around 200 billion euros ($ 240 billion) of European Union funds to help the economy to recover.
Renzi accused Conte of lacking strategic vision, saying he risked squandering the EU’s unprecedented boom in donations instead of long-term investments.
Opinion polls show Conte is Italy’s most popular leader, with a 56 percent approval rating, almost 20 points above the next closest politician, according to a survey published by Corriere della Sera on Saturday.
If he is removed from office, political sources have suggested that he may try to profit from his popularity by forming his own party or taking command of the 5-star.