Italy's Democrats seek to ward off early vote, Salvini
ROME—Lawmakers in Italy' s largest opposition party, t he center-left Democrats, huddled Wednesday to see if they could gather enough support in parliament for a durable government and avoid an early election that could bring Matteo Salvini's euroskeptic, nationalist League party to power.
Their maneuvering came a day after Giuseppe Conte resigned as premier, blaming S alvin i' s break with his 14- month- old populist coalition as a calculated bid to trigger a national vote 3½ years early and become premier himself.
Italian President Sergio Matt ar ella will ultimately decide if a solid majority with staying power exists in Parliament f or a new government that could win the required confidence vote.
Matt ar ella began talks Wednesday afternoon, starting with the heads of Parliament's two chambers, to help him explore where consensus lies. He is considering whether there is sufficient support for a solid alliance to replace Conte's coalition, which consisted of the League and the anti- establishment 5-Star Movement. He could also conclude it's in the best interests of the country to dissolve both chambers of Parliament so a new election can be held within 70 days.
While Salvini awaited his scheduled turn, on Thursday, to have his say with Mattarella, he depicted any move to form an alternative coalition as ganging up on him. He insisted that voters should have their say on who governs them next.
“Any government that is born is a government against the League,” Salvini told reporters who asked about efforts to possibly form a coalition between the Democrats and the 5-Stars.
After Italy' s March 2018 election, the Democrats and the 5- Stars failed to reach ade alto govern together, paving the way for the League to ultimately partner with the 5-Stars.