Italy: Premier Conte gets mandate to form government

By Baris Seckin

ROME (AA) - Giuseppe Conte, Italy’s prime minister, on Thursday got a fresh mandate from the president to form a government.

Conte got the mandate after the populist Five Star Movement (M5S) and center-left Democratic Party (PD) agreed on Conte again becoming premier, after stepping down last week.

He resigned amid the collapse of the coalition government between Five Star and the far-right League Party.

Speaking to reporters after getting the mandate, Conte said he will meet with political parties to form a government.

Italian media wrote before Conte met with President Sergio Mattarella that the president would ask him to submit a new Cabinet list by the start of next week.

Five Star and the Democratic Party have been in coalition talks since last week, but uncertainties have to be overcome on sharing the ministries.

On the news of a new Conte-led government, far-right League Party leader Matteo Salvini -- Conte's controversial former coalition partner -- predicted it would not last long.

Tensions within the coalition between the League Party and Five Star had mounted over an infrastructure project involving a high-speed rail link with France.

Both parties blamed each other for the deep divisions in the coalition, prompting Salvini to call for new elections.

Five Star and the League party had formed a coalition government in June 2018 under the leadership of Conte.

* Writing by Fatih Hafiz Mehmet