MILAN (AP) – Former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi is proving his already low popularity by provoking a political crisis that could bring down the Italian coalition government at a critical time in the coronavirus pandemic.
Renzi orchestrated the resignations of two ministers from his small but key party Italia Viva. The result of his power game will become clearer this week, when Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte addresses both houses of parliament. If Conte makes a successful offer of support, he could form what would be his third coalition government since the 2018 elections in Italy.
THE POWER OF RENZI
This is not Renzi’s first foray as an iconoclast that shakes Italian politics. He became prime minister in 2014 by maneuvering and unceremoniously dismissing then-Democratic Party colleague Enrico Letta as Italy’s leader. Renzi himself fell from power almost three years after playing his popularity in a failed constitutional referendum.
Now the 46-year-old former mayor of Florence could bring Conte down. In general, he accuses the prime minister of not properly managing the coronavirus crisis. Renzi says he only follows his conscience, at great political cost.
“Italia Viva did not start the crisis. It’s been months, “he said during a press conference last week.
Renzi, senator of the Italia Viva party, supported Conte during a previous takeover failed by Matteo Salvini, the leader of the right-wing League party that was part of Conte’s first government.
New polls show that junior coalition member Italia Viva has the support of only 2.4% of respondents, below a maximum of 6.2% in party creation. Italy Viva was created in September 2019 when Renzi pushed for the Democratic Party he once led. He brought with him two members of the Council of Ministers, given the type of leverage he employed last week.
THE NEXT STORY MOVEMENT
With the resignation of the ministers of Viva Italia, Conte is working to gain parliamentary support among independent lawmakers. He still has the support of the Democratic Party and the 5 Star Movement, which have criticized Renzi’s movement as irresponsible.
Conte will present his case in the lower house on Monday and in the Senate on Tuesday. There will be a voice vote after each appearance, which is equivalent to a vote of confidence.
If he does not get enough support, Conte would probably submit his resignation to Italian President Sergio Mattarella. In this case, a technical government could be established. Analysts believe that early elections are the least likely outcome, due to the difficulty of holding a political campaign and elections during the pandemic. There is also concern that the right-wing opposition is gaining strength and possibly leading a new government. The current majority would like to remain at least until January 2022, when a new president is to be elected.
Conte can survive to lead what would be his third government by gathering enough support from the two houses. And it is still possible for Italia Viva to restore its support.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
Italy expects to have 222 billion euros ($ 268 billion) in EU economic recovery funds to manage, money that is crucial to modernizing the country and its lame economy.
Although Conte had widespread support during Italy’s devastating coronavirus test during the first half of 2020, cracks in its popularity have emerged during the resurgence of the even more deadly fall. Four months into the system of restrictions by government levels, new confirmed daily infections remain stubbornly high and the death toll from Italy’s 81,800 pandemic is the second highest in Europe after Britain.
The Conte government is also under fire for not keeping high schools open during the pandemic, a decision related primarily to inadequate transportation to allow for social distancing. And there is concern that Italy does not have enough medical staff to carry out the country’s vaccination campaign.
But the crisis was ultimately spurred on when Conte unveiled a plan that would have been tasked with managing EU recovery funds. Political analyst Wolfgang Piccoli called it “the final mistake,” establishing Renzi’s move to reaffirm his own “prominence.”
Italians show little patience for political struggles when the country’s priority is to control the coronavirus pandemic and deploy vaccines that many hope will end the nation’s long coronavirus nightmare. In a new poll, 42% of Italians said they did not understand what caused the latest government divisions.
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