ROME (Reuters) - Italy’s prime minister resigned on Tuesday after launching a blistering attack on his own interior minister, Matteo Salvini, accusing him of sinking the ruling coalition and endangering the economy for personal and political gain.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, addressing parliament after it was recalled from its summer recess to decide the future of the 14-month-old government, accused the far-right League party chief Salvini of seeking to cash in on his rising popularity.

In a shock move on Aug. 8, Salvini declared that his alliance with the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement was dead and called for elections, but the gambit could yet prove a big political blunder and open the door to power for his rivals.

Politicians from 5-Star and the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) are openly discussing forming a new coalition which would push the League into opposition and give Italy a more centrist, pro-European government.

“The interior minister has shown that he is following his own interests and those of his party,” Conte told a packed Senate, a stony-faced Salvini sitting by his side. “His decisions pose serious risks for this country.”

He described Salvini’s actions as reckless and “liable to tip the country into a spiral of political uncertainty and financial instability”.

After the Senate debate Conte, who belongs to neither of the coalition parties, handed his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella, who said he would begin talks with parliamentary groups on Wednesday to see if a new coalition can be formed.

Failing that, Mattarella would have to dissolve parliament, 3-1/2 years ahead of schedule, to allow for autumn elections.

The consultations with party delegations will begin with minor groups at 1400 GMT on Wednesday. Mattarella will hear all the main parties on Thursday, concluding with 5-Star at 1500 GMT.

The PD’s leadership is also scheduled to meet on Wednesday to discuss the prospect of hooking up with 5-Star. The two parties have been bitter political foes for years.

Financial markets rallied on Conte’s resignation, seemingly hopeful that snap polls could be avoided.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, next to Italian Deputy PM Matteo Salvini, addresses the upper house of parliament over the ongoing government crisis, in Rome, Italy August 20, 2019. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

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Salvini at times shook his head, rolled his eyes or nodded to League senators as the prime minister accused him of being “irresponsible”, “reckless”, “alarming” and “disrespectful”.

Conte said he was worried by Salvini’s threat to call people into the country’s squares if his drive for elections were thwarted, as well as his demand for “full powers”.

“We do not need men who have ‘full powers’, but people who have institutional culture and a sense of responsibility,” he said in an hour-long speech in which he also denounced Salvini’s habit of brandishing the cross at his political rallies.

Touching on a particularly sensitive subject, he also said Salvini should provide explanations over allegations that the League attempted to obtain illegal funding from Russia through a covert oil transaction.

Salvini rejected Conte’s comments, saying other parties were afraid of going to elections and losing their influence.

He said his political goal was to challenge the European Union’s fiscal rules, which he has blamed for impoverishing the country. Rome should spend at least 50 billion euros ($55 billion) to stimulate the chronically weak economy, he added.

“I am not afraid,” he said. “I don’t want Italy to be a slave to anyone, and I don’t want Italy to be given a long chain like a little dog. I don’t want any chain at all.”

Italy has not held an election in the autumn since World War Two because the final months of the year are traditionally dedicated to drawing up the budget — a key moment for a country with one of the world’s largest debt mountains.

At the end of the parliamentary debate the League withdrew the no-confidence vote in the government that it had tabled earlier this month, but Conte said the move had come too late.

“I see that the League’s leader Matteo Salvini lacks the courage to take responsibility for his actions. If there’s a lack of courage, don’t worry, I’ll take responsibility before the country that is watching us,” said Conte.

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Mattarella is likely to push for a swift decision by the 5-Star and PD on whether they can work together. Failing that, he will probably dissolve parliament and call a vote in late October or early November.

“They won’t be able to run away from elections for ever,” Salvini told reporters as Conte met the president. </s> Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced on Tuesday that he will submit his resignation to the president, ending Italy's 14-month-old populist government.

"At the end of the debate I will go to the President of the Republic to officially communicate the end of this government and present to my resignation to him," Conte said in a speech before the Senate.

Two weeks ago, Interior Minister Matteo Salvini made the surprise announcement that his far-right League no longer wanted to remain in an alliance with the anti-establishment Five Star Movement, presenting a no-confidence vote and advocating for fresh elections.

What happens now?
• Conte will formally submit his resignation to Italian President Sergio Mattarella later on Tuesday.
• As head of state, Mattarella could reject the resignation, asking Conte to remain in his post to try and find an alternative majority in Parliament.
• He could also accept the resignation and see if another leader can form an alternative coaltion.
• Should those options fail, Parliament could be dissolved,setting the stage for snap elections as early as October.

During his speech before the Senate, Conte slammed Salvini, saying that he'd acted selfishly by choosing to end the country's governing coalition.

"It is irresponsible to initiate a government crisis," Conte said adding that the move "shows personal and party interests."

Conte, who belongs to neither party in the coalition, said that Salvini's decision puts the eurozone's third-largest economy at risk — exposing Italy to "a whirling spiral of political uncertainty and financial instability."

"Making citizens vote is the essence of democracy, asking them to vote every year is irresponsible," the prime minister said.

Salvini, who is also deputy prime minister, was seen shaking his head and rolling his eyes during Conte's speech, while members of his League booed at the Italian premier from their seats in the Senate.

Recent opinion polls have seen support for Salvini's anti-immigrant League party surge while support for the Five Star Movement has dropped significantly.

By trying to trigger early elections, analysts believe Salvini hopes to capitalize on his party's popularity and become Italy's next prime minister.

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here. </s> A member of the media waits outside the Quirinal palace after the Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced his resignation during a session of the upper house of parliament over the ongoing government crisis, in Rome, Italy August 20, 2019. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

ROME (Reuters) - Italian President Sergio Mattarella has accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and will kick off consultations with party leaders on Wednesday to seek a solution to the political crisis, his office said.

Mattarella asked Conte to remain in office to carry out day-to-day government business while the discussions continue.

Mattarella will start his meetings at 4.00 p.m. (1400 GMT) on Wednesday and wrap them up on Thursday afternoon. He is expected to see whether there is the political will to form a new government. If not, he will have to dissolve parliament, 3-1/2 years ahead of schedule, and call early elections. </s> ROME: Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Tuesday announced he was resigning after making a scathing attack on his deputy and coalition partner Matteo Salvini for sparking of a new political crisis for "personal and party interests", reports said.

Salvini, the leader of the nationalist League party, had tabled a no-confidence motion against Conte, saying he could no longer work with his coalition partners Five Star.

The League and the populist Five Star Movement formed a coalition to govern just 14 months ago with Conte, an independent, as the Prime Minister.

Addressing the Senate, with Salvini and the other Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio sitting on either side, Conte said the League leader had been "looking for a pretext to return to the polls" since his party's success in European elections in May, reported the BBC.

The League had won 34 per cent of the votes in Italy, whereas Five Star got about 17 per cent.

Blaming Salvini for undermining the government and terming his actions "irresponsible" and allowing primacy of "personal and party interests," Conte said: "I take this opportunity to announce that I will present my resignation as head of government to the President of the Republic."

In his address, Salvini said that he was "not afraid of the judgement of Italians".

Five Star leader Di Maio also said that his party did not fear another election, while blaming the League for the government's collapse.

Conte was due to present his resignation letter to President Sergio Mattarella after the Senate debate.

Mattarella could call early elections but he could also decide to announce discussions with party leaders on forming a new coalition government. </s> ROME, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Italy's prime minister announced his resignation on Tuesday as he made a blistering attack on his own interior minister, Matteo Salvini, accusing him of sinking the ruling coalition and endangering the economy for personal and political gain.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, addressing parliament after it was recalled from its summer recess to decide the future of the 14-month-old government, accused League party chief Salvini of seeking to cash in on his rising popularity.

He described the actions of Salvini, who declared the coalition unworkable 12 days ago and called for snap elections, as recklessness "liable to tip the country into a spiral of political uncertainty and financial instability".

Conte, who belongs to neither of the coalition's two parties, said he would hand in his resignation later in the day, allowing the head of state to start formal consultations with parties to see if a new coalition can be formed.

Failing that, President Sergio Mattarella would have to dissolve parliament, 3-1/2 years ahead of schedule, a move that could trigger elections as early as the autumn.

Financial markets rallied on Conte's resignation, seemingly hopeful that snap polls could be avoided amid reports the ruling 5-Star Movement might seek an alliance with the centre-left opposition Democratic Party (PD).

Salvini at times shook his head, rolled his eyes or nodded to League senators as the prime minister accused him of being "irresponsible", "reckless", "alarming" and "disrespectful".

Conte said he was worried by Salvini's threat to call people into the country's squares if his drive for elections were thwarted, as well as his demand for "full powers".

"We do not need men who have 'full powers', but people who have institutional culture and a sense of responsibility," he said in an hour long speech in which he also denounced Salvini's habit of brandishing the cross at his political rallies.

Salvini rejected Conte's comments, saying other parties were afraid of going to elections and losing their influence.

He said his political goal was to challenge the European Union's fiscal rules, which he has blamed for impoverishing the country. Rome should spend at least 50 billion euros ($55 billion) to stimulate the chronically weak economy, he added.

"I am not afraid," he said "I don't want Italy to be a slave to anyone, and I don't want Italy to be given a long chain like a little dog. I don't want any chain at all."

Italy has not held an election in the autumn since World War Two because the final months of the year are traditionally dedicated to drawing up the budget -- a key moment for a country with one of the world's largest debt mountains.

Salvini said he was ready to keep the coalition alive to approve a 2020 budget and also vote in a planned reform of parliament before heading to early elections.

"Do you want to cut the number of parliamentarians and then go to vote? We're ready for that. If you then want to present a courageous budget, then we are ready for that too," he said.

However, such a scenario is hard to imagine given the mutual recriminations flying between the two coalition partners.

Instead, Mattarella is likely to push for a swift decision by the 5-Star and PD on whether they can work together. Failing that, he will probably dissolve parliament and call a vote in late October or early November. </s> ROME — The most nationalist, populist and dysfunctional Italian government in decades collapsed on Tuesday as the country’s prime minister announced his resignation in the face of a mutinous power play by the hard-line and increasingly popular interior minister, Matteo Salvini.

“The interior minister followed personal and party interests,” by calling for elections and pulling his support from the government, said Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte as he addressed an extraordinary session of Parliament that interrupted the usually sacrosanct Italian summer recess.

With Mr. Salvini seated beside him with raised chin, Mr. Conte took aim, accusing him of “political opportunism,” disregard for Italy’s institutions and thrusting the country into a “vortex of political uncertainty and financial instability.”

Circumventing a confidence vote that Mr. Salvini had promoted, Mr. Conte said he would go to the Quirinal Hill and tender his resignation to Italy’s president, Sergio Mattarella. </s> ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Thursday that the leader of the ruling League party, Matteo Salvini, must explain to Italians why he wants to bring down the coalition government.

Salvini, who is deputy prime minister and interior minister, said earlier that the coalition with the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement had broken down and he called for new elections.

“It is not up to the interior minister to convene parliament or fix the agenda of a political crisis,” Conte said, vowing to go before parliament to ensure “the crisis (Salvini) has unleashed is the most transparent in the history of the republic”.

In his brief statement from the prime minister’s office, Conte, who is close to 5-Star, said he would no longer accept Salvini’s attacks on his ministers and accused him of relying on “slogans” to drum up support.

“He must ... justify to the voters who believed in the promise of change, the reasons that have led him to interrupt early and abruptly the work of government,” Conte said. </s> Giuseppe Conte was sworn in as prime minister of Italy’s new populist government today after a last-ditch coalition deal ended months of political deadlock and narrowly avoided snap elections in the eurozone’s third largest economy.

Conte, an academic and political novice, will head a government of ministers from the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) and the far-right League Party. The first populist coalition in a founding EU member has raised concerns in some European quarters.

The 53-year-old was sworn in alongside his cabinet, which will see M5S leader Luigi Di Maio and League chief Matteo Salvini in key ministerial posts.

After weeks of political drama that had at one stage seemed certain to lead to new elections, President Sergio Mattarella named political novice Conte as prime minister for the second time in less than a fortnight and approved his revised cabinet.

Conte had abandoned his original mandate as PM on Sunday after Mattarella vetoed eurosceptic Paolo Savona as economy minister, prompting the collapse the Five Star-League joint government deal collapsed.

But in a surprise twist, the populists resurrected the coalition talks and Conte eventually accepted a new mandate for the premiership. He presented Mattarella with a revised list of ministers – with Savona moved to EU Affairs – that the head of state quickly accepted.

Italian media reported that the lineup will face a vote of confidence on Monday or Tuesday in both houses of parliament, which it is almost certain to win thanks to the populists’ combined majority. </s> Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Tuesday that he would submit his resignation amid tensions between the two populist parties that comprise his government coalition: the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and the far-right League.

The big picture: Earlier this month, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini declared the governing coalition unworkable and demanded fresh elections. Salvini's League party performed exceptionally well in the European Parliament elections earlier this year and is polling in first place nationally at about 38%, according to The Guardian. Salvini hopes to use a snap election to give the League an outright majority and make him prime minister, though his far-right party is still facing questions over a campaign finance scandal involving Russian funds.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte resigns. He criticizes Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, accusing him of sinking the ruling coalition for personal and political gain. The President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, accepts Conte's resignation and announces that he will start consultations with party leaders.