Giuseppe Conte named as pick to be Italy's prime minister
May 21, 2018
Giuseppe Conte has been chosen by a coalition of two populist parties as its pick to be Italy's next prime minister. The move could set Italy on a collision course with the EU.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Lore
Advertisement
Giuseppe Conte, a 54-year-old law professor and something of a political novice, was named as the pick to be Italy's next prime minister by Five Star Movement (M5S) leader Luigi Di Maio.
Conte, who was born in the southern province of Foggia and has never been elected to parliament, comes from the M5S side of the coalition.
The now-likely coalition government in Rome made up of the M5S and League parties is on a possible collision course with other EU member states after it announced spending plans likely to increase the country's already towering public debt.
After months of negotiations, Italy finally has a government with Giuseppe Conte at the helm. Conte's swearing in ended weeks of turmoil that rocked financial markets, but concerns among Italy's EU partners remain.
Image: picture-alliance/ROPI
Conte: Novice at the helm
Giuseppe Conte, a little-known law professor with no political experience, was picked by the League and 5-Star Movement (M5S) as their candidate for prime minister. He was forced to temporarily give up his leadership bid after the parties' cabinet selection was initially blocked. However, after the two parties struck a deal with President Sergio Mattarella, Conte was eventually sworn in on June 1.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Lore
Mattarella: President with the final say
President Sergio Mattarella faced calls for his impeachment after he prevented the populist alliance from taking office. He singled out its choice for finance minister, Paolo Savona, warning that an openly euroskeptic minister in that position went against the parties' joint promise to simply "change Europe for the better." After the parties agreed to replace Savona, Mattarella gave the go-ahead.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/A. Solaro
Di Maio: Anti-austerity advocate
M5S chief Luigi Di Maio secured his party 32 percent of the vote in the March election. With the populist M5S-League coalition in power, Di Maio assumed the role of joint deputy prime minister and took over the economic development portfolio. The M5S leader has come under fire for his anti-immigration rhetoric, including calling rescue missions to save migrants from drowning a "sea-taxi service."
Image: Getty Images/AFP/T. Fabi
Salvini: 'The Captain'
Matteo Salvini is the leader of the anti-immigrant, euroskeptic League, which won 17 percent of the vote in the March election. A former MEP, he and his party have no experience in governing. Salvini has taken on the position of interior minister within Conte's Cabinet. Known for his hostile rhetoric toward immigrants and the EU, Salvini once described the euro a "crime against humanity."
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. Di Meo
Savona: Anti-euro radical
Paola Savona, initially tipped to lead the Finance Ministry, has called the euro a "German cage" and said that Italy needs a plan to leave the single currency. The 81-year-old's stance won him the backing of most Italian lawmakers but that wasn't enough to stop his appointment being vetoed. In his place steps Giovanni Tria, an economics professor without any previous government experience.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/F. Frustaci
Cottarelli: Temporary caretaker
Carlo Cottarelli was set to become Italy's caretaker prime minster after the M5S-League alliance failed to have its controversial cabinet picks approved. The former IMF economist's time in the spotlight was short-lived, however. Political uncertainty in Italy rocked Europe's financial markets and prompted Mattarella to swiftly renegotiate and approve Salvini and Di Maio's governing coalition.
Image: picture-alliance/NurPhoto/S. Lore
Berlusconi: Vanquished enabler
Silvio Berlusconi (right) and his Forza Italia entered a four-party electoral alliance including League in the March election that secured the bloc 37 percent. Berlusconi is now upset at his right-wing ally Salvini after the League leader moved to work with M5S. Berlusconi has said he would act as a "reasonable and scrutinizing opposition."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/ANSA/E. Ferrari
7 images1 | 7
What is in the coalition deal? The two parties agreed to give monthly payments of at least €780 ($920) to Italians living below the poverty line. The deal also foresees a maximum individual tax rate of 15 percent, while business would pay 20 percent at most. The platform includes the introduction of tougher rules on deporting migrants and calls for fostering dialogue with Russia on economic and foreign policy matters.
Why is the EU concerned? Italy is the third-largest economy in the EU, but is running public debt of more than 130 percent of GDP— second only to Greece. Economists and EU policymakers worry that the spending plans contained in the coalition's program will increase the country's debt burden still further. The coalition is also at odds with the EU over its pro-Russian stance and over its euroskeptic attitude, reflected in League leader Matteo Salvini's "Italians First" motto.
In response to the bloc's concerns, M5S's Di Maio said "first let us govern, then you can legitimately criticize us."
What is M5S? The Movimento 5 Stelle or Five Star Movement was founded in 2009 by comedian Beppe Grillo. The "five stars" stand for the five key issues originally embraced by the party: public water, environmentalism, sustainable transport, sustainable development and rights to internet access. It also supports direct democracy and advocates anti-consumerism and anti-capitalism.
What is the League? The League is a federation of several regional parties from Northern and Central Italy and until December 2017 went under the name of Lega Nord, or Northern League. It has a far-right anti-immigration stance and has in the past even expressed hostility to people migrating to Northern Italy from the poorer south.
Why are they working together? In March 4 elections, M5S received 32 percent of the vote while the League-led right-wing coalition managed a combined 37 percent. Neither party reached the 40 percent necessary to govern.
