Standoff in Italy over naming of economy minister
ROME: The political standoff in Italy continued yesterday over President Sergio Mattarella’s refusal to approve the eurosceptic coalition’s choice for economy minister. Three days after being appointed by Mattarella as prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, 53, has still not been able to form a government. Writing on Facebook late on Friday, League chief Matteo Salvini, who insists on naming the noted eurosceptic Paolo Savona as economy minister, was blunt. “I am really very angry,” he wrote.
The far-right leader doubled down yesterday, tweeting images of cartoons in German media lampooning Italy, writing: “The newspapers and German politicians insult us: Italian beggars, idlers, tax evaders, freeloaders and ungrateful. “And we should choose an economy minister that suits them? No thanks!” Salvini had nominated Conte for the premiership along with Five Star leader Luigi Di Maio, but officially it is the head of state and the premier alone who appoint ministers.
And according to the Italian press, Mattarella will not bend for two reasons: to avoid isolating Italy in Europe and to protect the role of the president. Conte met the president late on Friday to report “informally” on the discussions, but without presenting his final list of ministers. Already unconvinced of Conte’s authority over the political heavyweights who will compose his team, Mattarella - elected by a parliament which at the time was dominated by the center-left - wants Italy to respect its European commitments. But Salvini, 45, emboldened by the March 4 election, does not intend to give up either, reportedly to the point that he is willing to “blow everything up” and return to the voters.
As guarantor of international treaties, Mattarella has been more discrete since the standoff began on Thursday. But he was clear in denouncing the “unacceptability of diktats towards the prime minister and president” by political parties. The center-left Democratic Party of former premier Matteo Renzi, however, did not pull its punches. “You are playing around at the expense of the country just to defend your miserable interests,” party leader Maurizio Martina said in remarks addressed to Salvini said on Saturday.