Italy's president Sergio Mattarella accepted a political novice Giuseppe Conte, a populist coalition's candidate, as prime minister on Wednesday in a bid to forge a functioning government and end the nation's weeks-long political deadlock.
Law professor Giuseppe Conte has been named as the choice of the Five Star Movement and League to lead the Italian coalition government. The leaders of the two parties have been holding talks with President Sergio Mattarella over the approval of their coalition government.
Italy’s two anti-establishment parties promised on Friday to ramp up spending in a program for a new coalition government, putting them on a collision course with the European Union despite having dropped some of their most radical proposals.
An Italian tribunal has lifted a ban on veteran centre-right leader Silvio Berlusconi from holding public office, meaning he could run to be prime minister in the next national election.
Italian anti-establishment and far-right leaders met on Friday to hash out a deal over a joint government that could be announced as soon as Sunday. Matteo Salvini, leader of the nationalist League, told reporters after meeting head of Five Star Movement (M5S) Luigi Di Maio at the lower house Chamber of Deputies that their aim was to reach an agreement as soon as possible.
President Sergio Mattarella on Monday suggested the formation of a 'neutral' government to rule until the end of this year after a third round of consultations failed to produce to way out of Italy's post-election political deadlock.
By Gwynne Dyer - If the model is broken, should you try to fix it, or scrap it and get a new one? In questions of technology, increasingly the answer is: scrap it. Computer repair shops are dying out: if your laptop doesn't work, just buy a new one. What applies to consumer technology, however, does not necessarily apply to politics.
Italy’s three main rightist parties on Sunday vowed to present a united front in a fresh round of talks on forming a new government next week, defying attempts by the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement to divide them in coalition negotiations.
Italian energy group Edison, part of French utility EDF, is preparing the sale of its oil and gas unit, the latest power producer to abandon fossil fuels to focus on its retail business, four industry sources said, and quoted by Reuters. Its oil and gas unit includes interests in the Falkland Islands.
Italy's general election on Sunday has so far resulted in a hung parliament, with the country's Euro skeptic Five Star Movement emerging as the single party with the most votes. The centre-right coalition headed by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is expected to gain between 248 and 268 seats and a 37% vote share, which is still short of a majority. Some 316 seats are needed to form a government.