Italian PM Battles To Keep Government Afloat, Will Head To Parliament By Alice RITCHIE and Alvise ARMELLINI
01/14/21 AT 3:45 PM
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte was battling Thursday to keep his government afloat after a junior coalition partner pulled out, sparking a political crisis in the middle of a raging pandemic.
A day after former premier Matteo Renzi withdrew his Italia Viva party, depriving the government of its parliamentary majority, the key remaining coalition members rushed to support Conte.
The populist Five Star Movement (M5S) and the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) vented their outrage at Renzi and hinted they would try to fill the gap he left with opposition lawmakers.
They discussed their countries’ responses to the coronavirus pandemic and their progress rolling out vaccinations.
The leaders welcomed the ‘year of UK-Italian presidencies’ as the UK prepares to host the G7, Italy prepares to host the G20 and both our countries work in partnership on the COP26 Summit. They agreed this offered a unique opportunity for the UK and Italy to intensify cooperation on shared priorities, particularly defeating coronavirus and building back better from the pandemic.
The Prime Minister stressed the need for countries to link their economic recovery to efforts to tackle climate change, ensuring that we have a more prosperous planet.
By leaving the government, Renzi also takes away several key ministers who are also members of Italia Viva, including Minister of Agriculture Teresa Bellanova and Minister of Family and Equal Opportunities Elena Bonetti.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Conte had met with President Sergio Mattarella and told media that he hoped he could still count on Renzi’s support, saying the government could only work with a majority and that Italians would not accept a new government crisis.
Several scenarios could unfold following Renzi’s move, including a snap election, which is believed to be President Mattarella’s prefered scenario, as opposed to a fragile coalition in parliament.