Italy adopts a new government after a month of crisis

After a month of an unprecedented summer political crisis unleashed by Matteo Salvini, Italy has a new government, Wednesday 4 September, which aims to strike a balance between the unclassifiable Five Star and the Social Democrats. back to power. After meeting with President Sergio Mattarella, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, re-elected, announced the composition of his new government, consisting of seven women and fourteen men and whose far right is no longer part.

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The strategic position of Minister of Economy and Finance has been entrusted to the current Chairman of the Economic Affairs Committee in the European Parliament Roberto Gualtieri, a prominent member of the Democratic Party.

Italy, the third power of the euro area, heavily indebted (132% of GDP) and on the verge of recession, must find funds to avoid a rise in VAT next year. Rome has also had difficult relations with Brussels in recent months and narrowly avoided an infringement procedure for excessive public deficit. Roberto Gualtieri will be at the forefront in an attempt to soften community rules.

Luigi Di Maio at Foreign Affairs

So far Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development, the leader of the 5-star Movement (M5S), Luigi Di Maio, has won the prestigious portfolio of Foreign Affairs. A post in the form of a consolation prize because he had shown himself determined in recent days to keep his number two chair of the government. A woman, Milan's ex-prefect, Luciana Lamorgese, has been chosen for the delicate task of succeeding the Interior Ministry at the head of the League, the ruler Matteo Salvini, who has considerably hardened the politics of Italy to make it up to migrants and NGOs that help them.

Giuseppe Conte focused on forming a team that respected the balance between two political forces that had always fought against each other. For the important post of Minister of Defense, he appointed a heavyweight of the Democratic Party Lorenzo Guerini. The Prime Minister has also promoted the number two of PD, Paola De Micheli, to Infrastructure and Transport, and another woman, Nuncia Catalfo, to the Ministry of Labor, the latter succeeding Luigi Di Maio.

"The stability of Italy is a value for the EU"

Another strong man of the Democratic Party, a time expected to be the Deputy Prime Minister of Giuseppe Conte, Dario Franceschini found the portfolio of Culture he held between 2014 and 2018, in center-left governments led successively by Matteo Renzi, then Paolo Gentiloni. The Five Stars retain certain ministries such as Justice (Alfonso Bonafede), Environment (Sergio Costa) and Economic Development (Stefano Patuanelli).

"Italy's stability is a value for the European Union - good luck to the new government we are waiting for in Brussels", the Social Democrat President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli of Italy, wrote on Twitter. The Conte 2 government, born after Matteo Salvini's rupture on August 8 of an unstable alliance with the M5S, will take an oath Thursday morning at the Quirinale Palace, the seat of the presidency of the Republic.

Italy's stability is of importance to the EU. I wish the new government the best and look forward to meet them in Brussels. pic.twitter.com/8ekvLmtyrl

A government "without dignity, without ideal"

The government will then have to gain confidence in Parliament: Monday in the Chamber of Deputies and Tuesday in the Senate, according to Italian media. According to projections, the new coalition would have 167 elected in the Senate (out of 315) and 347 in the House (out of 630), an absolute majority in each assembly.

"This is a government born on the fear of letting go of its chair, without dignity, without ideal," said Matteo Salvini, who has already gone on campaign to try to bring it down before the end of the legislature in the spring of 2023.

With AFP