The proposed coalition between the Five Star Movement and the establishment left-wing Democratic Party (PD) faces resistance from many, including potential rebels within the Five Star Movement.
The new coalition has been given the green light by Italian President Sergio Mattarella but faces many problems, including the two parties being three senators short of an absolute majority in the Italian senate and will be forced to rely on smaller groups, Il Giornale reports.
To add the problems, the newspaper claims that there is also a group of Five Star senators who could block the election of the new executive under Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte as many believe they could lose their senate seat in an upcoming election if they voted for the new coalition.
Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has also expressed his opposition to the new coalition proposal labelling it “fragile and unsuitable to solve the problems of the country”.
He went on to add that the first real test for the new government would be the upcoming budget and urged the two parties to implement economically liberal policies and refuse to raise taxes.
The right-populist League led by Matteo Salvini, who was in the prior government before it collapsed, has continued to demand new elections. The party still maintains a powerful lead in national opinion polls and Salvini called for a mass demonstration to demand elections in October in Rome.
League Senator Roberto Calderoli made it clear that the party would do everything possible in the senate to oppose and hinder the new government saying: “I will bury the government under millions of amendments.”
Analysts have also been less than impressed with the new coalition, with Dutch financial services giant Rabobank saying that the coalition was not a certainty and that talks between the Democratic Party and the Five Stars could break down.
Rabobank predicted that the new government would be much more favourable to the European Union and as a result, the EU could grant more flexibility to Italy over its budget.
Despite better relations with the EU, the analysts said: “In light of this current political situation, it is difficult to see a government capable of effectively addressing structural problems and stimulating an economy of a lasting market.”
One major proponent of the new government is German Chancellor Angela Merkel who reportedly made a phone call to a high-ranking member of the Democratic Party saying “the government should be formed at any cost to stop the sovereigntists” and Salvini.
Salvini has long maintained his opposition to globalist Merkel, slamming her and French President Emmanuel Macron in May, claiming the pair had “ruined” Europe.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.