Early elections would be the best solution to end the political stalemate in Italy, League leader and former Minister of Interior Matteo Salvini told Hungarian daily Magyar Nemzet on Wednesday.
The current Italian government crisis can end in several ways. Following the resignation of Giuseppe Conte yesterday, the fate of the country is now in the hands of President Sergio Mattarella. Starting this afternoon, the head of state will receive delegations from political parties separately to hear their intentions. The hearings will end on Friday.
Following a joint meeting of the center-right coalition on Wednesday, Salvini told Magyar Nemzet about the common goals of the right-wing parties.
“There is full agreement between the coalition partners, so we will turn to the President of the Republic to indicate that we have a ready program to lead the country. A quick decision is needed. The serious consequences of the Conte-Renzi squabble are borne by Italian citizens,” Salvini said. “Government decrees should be decided for immediate discussion, immediate assistance to families and businesses, the abolition of tax arrears, and the authorization of billions in public investment.”
Salvini said the above issues are all urgent and should have a tight deadline, instead of the forces of the left continuing their attempts to come to an agreement with the exclusion of the voters
“No self-respecting politician can be looking for potential allies under the cover of night, looking for politicians on the road to start another cycle,” Salvini said. He was referring to Conte’s remarks according to which the head of the failed government was working to recruit so-called “builders” or “managers” who could secure the majority needed for the third term.
Salvini also said they hope that Italian citizens will finally have a say, meaning that the president will decide in favor of early elections. He also said that they have a program designed to overcome health and economic hardships, and are ready to govern. The former interior minister finally said it was time to put an end to left-wing government pain, endless attempts to survive, and tactics that shame the country.
Although Conte intends to begin a third cycle as prime minister, for that he needs supporters in the upper house. During the vote of confidence, only 156 senators supported him, insufficient for a stable majority.
Ten senators expressed their intention in the House of Commons to participate in the formation of a centralist political group formed to save Conte. Two more senators are expected to join Forza Italia.
Meanwhile, a group of senators, including members of the Mixed Group (GM) and some members of Forza Italia are throwing a lifeline to Conte on condition that Matteo Renzi and members of the Living Italy (IV) party cannot be partners in the new governing coalition. Even if all ten members of this group stand by Conte, he will still need to secure the support of another seven senators, but the Italian daily Il Giornale points out that the ten-senator group is itself fraught with internal tensions.
Title image: Left to right: FdI leader Giorgia Meloni, former Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, League leader Matteo Salvini and Raffaele Fito, leader of Noi con l’Italia at a 2018 event. (source: MTI/EPA/Angelo Carconi)
