UPDATE - Italian prime minister announces resignation

UPDATES WITH STATEMENTS OF CONTE, ADDS DETAILS, CHANGES DECK

By Baris Seckin

ROME (AA) - Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced that he would resign on Tuesday following an address at the country's senate.

Italy had gone into political crisis after Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini called for snap elections and submitted a no-confidence motion for the current government.

In his speech, Conte blamed Salvini for the current political crisis, accusing him of choosing to follow "the interests of himself and his party".

He added that bringing people to ballot boxes each year is "irresponsibility".

"After my speech, I will go to the president in order to submit my resignation," he added.

Following Conte's resignation, President Sergio Mattarella is expected to start political talks in the parliament.

Tensions within the coalition between Salvini’s right-wing League party and the populist Five Star Movement (M5S) have recently 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.

M5S and the League party formed a coalition government on June 1, 2018 under the leadership of technocrat Conte.

* Writing by Fatih Hafiz Mehmet