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. </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> Interior Minister Matteo Salvini gives a press conference after meeting social partners at the Ministry of the Interior to present the next Government Budget Law on August 6, 2019 in Rome, Italy.

The leader of Italy's ruling League party, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, said on Thursday the governing coalition had broken down and the only way forward was to hold new elections.

The shock announcement follows months of bickering between the right-wing League and its coalition partner, the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, and it throws the euro zone's third-largest economy into an uncertain political future.

Salvini said in a statement that he had told Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte that the alliance with 5-Star had collapsed after little more than a year in power and "we should quickly give the choice back to the voters".

Parliament, which is now in its summer recess, could reconvene next week to carry out the necessary steps, Salvini said, referring to the need for a no-confidence vote in the government and the resignation of the premier.

Tensions came to a head on Wednesday when the two parties voted against each other in parliament over the future of a project for a high-speed train link with France.

5-Star has more parliamentary seats than the League, but Salvini's party now has twice as much voter support, according to opinion polls, and it has often threatened to try to capitalise on that popularity with new elections.

However, it remains to be seen if things will go as Salvini plans. Pushing the nation back into election mode in August, when Italians are on holiday and parliament is closed for the summer recess, would be unusual and potentially risky.

President Sergio Mattarella is the only person with the power to dissolve parliament, and may be unwilling to do so ahead of preparatory work in September for the 2020 budget, which must then be presented to parliament the following month.

Italy has not held an election in the autumn in all the post-war period. </s> ROME - Italy’s president begins consultations on Wednesday on seeing if there is any way another working coalition government can be formed following Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte’s resignation. The head of state wants to see if he can avoid dissolving parliament three-and-a-half years ahead of schedule. If not, the country will hold a snap general election in the fall.

President Sergio Mattarella is scheduled to meet all of the country’s political parties to see if a new coalition can be formed that will allow the present parliament, elected in March 2018, to continue to sit. The consultations follow the resignation of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, which he announced in the upper house of parliament Tuesday afternoon.

Conte said the decision of the League party which requested a no-confidence vote on the government had forced him to interrupt this government experience. Conte accused the League party leader and the country’s interior minister, Matteo Salvini, of bringing down the ruling coalition for personal and political gain.

Some two weeks ago, Salvini declared the coalition unworkable and called for a snap general election. Addressing the senators, Conte attacked what he called Salvini’s irresponsible and reckless behavior, saying it was “liable to tip the country into a spiral of political uncertainty and financial instability.”

Conte said Salvini took on a huge responsibility promoting this government crisis.

The outgoing prime minister said he was worried by Salvini's demand for “full powers” and his threat to call people into the country's squares if his drive for elections was thwarted.

For his part, when Salvini addressed the Senate after Conte, he said he would do everything again just as he had done, adding he is a free man and not fearful of what Italians would think. He said other parties were scared to go to elections because they were scared to lose their seats in parliament.

Salvini and his League party are riding high in opinion polls with just under 40 percent. His anti-immigration policies have served him well since he came to power.

The Italian president is likely to push for a quick decision and one that will avoid the dissolution of the current parliament. One possible scenario is a new coalition formed by the Five Star Movement and the Left Democrats party, a solution that is exactly what Salvini does not want.

But if the consultations fail, a general election could be held before the end of October at a time the country should be focusing instead on drawing up its 2020 budget. </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> The Latest Italy’s Salvini calls for a new election soon

MILAN — The Latest on Italian politics (all times local):

Italy is facing a government crisis with Interior Minister Matteo Salvini of the right-wing League party calling for a new election and urging Italy’s president to verify in parliament that the governing majority has collapsed.

Tensions spiraled after a Senate vote on Wednesday defeated a motion by the League’s coalition partners, the 5-Star Movement, that sought to kill an EU-funded high-speed rail project known in Italy as TAV that is supported by the League.

Salvini met Thursday with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. After the meeting, Salvini issued a statement saying the TAV vote made clear that the populist coalition had collapsed. He called for a speedy election.

To have a new election, President Sergio Mattarella must first verify that the government has lost support in Parliament. It was unclear when that might happen, since parliament has adjourned for the summer holiday.

Tensions are rising in Italy’s government, with Interior Minister Matteo Salvini’s League saying that new elections are the only alternative to the current governing coalition with the 5-Star Movement.

The League on Thursday complained of deadlock on a variety of issues, including a vote in parliament over the future of an EU-funded high-speed rail link between Turin and the French city of Lyon. The statement said “it is useless to go on,” adding that “the only alternative to this government is to give the word back to Italians with new elections.”

The 5-Star Movement, which opposes the high-speed train link as too costly and unnecessary, replied that the League’s note was “not comprehensible,” and asked the party to clearly state what it wants. </s> The Latest: Italy's Salvini calls for a new election soon

MILAN (AP) — The Latest on Italian politics (all times local):

Italy is facing a government crisis with Interior Minister Matteo Salvini of the right-wing League party calling for a new election and urging Italy's president to verify in parliament that the governing majority has collapsed.

Tensions spiraled after a Senate vote on Wednesday defeated a motion by the League's coalition partners, the 5-Star Movement, that sought to kill an EU-funded high-speed rail project known in Italy as TAV that is supported by the League.

Salvini met Thursday with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. After the meeting, Salvini issued a statement saying the TAV vote made clear that the populist coalition had collapsed. He called for a speedy election.

To have a new election, President Sergio Mattarella must first verify that the government has lost support in Parliament. It was unclear when that might happen, since parliament has adjourned for the summer holiday.

Tensions are rising in Italy's government, with Interior Minister Matteo Salvini's League saying that new elections are the only alternative to the current governing coalition with the 5-Star Movement.

The League on Thursday complained of deadlock on a variety of issues, including a vote in parliament over the future of an EU-funded high-speed rail link between Turin and the French city of Lyon. The statement said "it is useless to go on," adding that "the only alternative to this government is to give the word back to Italians with new elections."

The 5-Star Movement, which opposes the high-speed train link as too costly and unnecessary, replied that the League's note was "not comprehensible," and asked the party to clearly state what it wants. </s> Italian deputy PM Matteo Salvini stripped off his shirt, swigged cocktails and danced with performers in bikinis on a bizarre 'beach tour' to woo voters before a possible snap election.

Salvini was seen holding a football in one hand and a giant water pistol in the other as he chatted to supporters, before taking his position in a DJ booth while sipping on a cold drink.

The leader of the far-right League party - who split from Italian TV presenter Elisa Isoardi, 35 last month - is hoping to win votes from supporters off his party's coalition partner, the anti-establishment Five Star Movement.

Five Star did particularly well in the south at last year's election - but has since seen its polling numbers plunge over a series of broken promises.

On Wednesday it suffered an embarrassing defeat at a parliamentary vote over a high-speed train link between Italy and France, which it had pledged to scrap.

With observers wondering if this would be the final straw for a bickering coalition, Salvini appeared to have decided he had no choice but to swap Mojitos and beach selfies for talks over the government's future.

Asked Monday whether Italy was heading to a snap election, he replied: 'We'll see soon, possibly even before September.'

He was still scheduled to hold a party rally in Sabaudia later Wednesday, with other beach meetings to follow in the coming days.

'I'm sorry he's not coming, I would have a liked a photograph with him,' said 12-year old Perla Garzia, who was at the beach in Anzio with her grandmother, a Salvini fan.

Not so grandfather Gianfranco Cervasi, 72, who was glad the deputy prime minister was not coming, slamming him and his entourage as 'dangerous people'.

The decision to kick off the tour in the sea-side cities Anzio and Sabaudia had been symbolic.

Allied forces once swarmed over the beach in Anzio during the Second World War in an attempt - dubbed Operation Shingle - to bypass German forces and take Rome.

Salvini, 46, has been accused of fomenting neo-fascism with his comments to his 3.7 million Facebook followers.

His decision to cancel the first events on his tour surprised followers used to seeing him talking politics in swimming trunks.

'We came today for Salvini. It may just be a political stunt, but it means ordinary Italians can speak to him, we would have appreciated that,' said Giorgia Trinti, a pregnant 28-year old lawyer.

Salvini has spent so much time at the resort of Milano Marittima that it has been nicknamed 'Viminale Beach' after the name of the interior ministry.

He landed himself in hot water last week by arranging for his 15-year-old son Federico to ride a police jet ski.

'I made a mistake as a dad, no responsibility should be ascribed to the police,' he said, after the images taken by a journalist went viral, sparking complaints he had compromised police integrity.

On Saturday he was filmed at Milano Marittima, bare-chested, cocktail in hand, at a DJ stand with the national anthem playing and dancers in low-cut swimming costumes.

Senior members of the armed forces swiftly condemned the spectacle.

The left-wing went to town on the stark contrast between Salvini and Aldo Moro, two-time former prime minister, famously photographed on the beach in a suit and tie. </s> ROME - Far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini pulled his support for Italy's governing coalition on Thursday and called for snap elections, deepening the country's political crisis.

Long-rumbling tensions between the 14-month-old coalition's populist leaders have peaked in recent days, with the row centred on the financing of a multi-billion-euro high-speed train line.

As the crisis appeared to come to a head, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte held separate talks with Salvini and the country's president Sergio Mattarella.

Salvini, whose hardline League Party has already called for snap polls, has clashed with his fellow Deputy Prime Minister Luigi di Maio of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) party over a range of policies.

He stepped up the pressure on Thursday, saying there was no longer a majority to support a government and calling for new elections.

"Let's go straight to parliament to say there is no longer a majority... and quickly go back to the voters," he said.

Both houses of parliament are currently on recess for the holidays and are not due back until September.

In an allusion to the souring relationship between the coalition partners, Salvini also denounced "repeated insults against me and the League by supposed allies".

The opposition has also called on the government to resign, arguing it no longer has a workable majority in parliament after Di Maio voted against the Lyon-Turin rail project.

Italian media reported that Salvini, in earlier talks with Conte, set conditions for staying in the coalition -- including the resignation of the transport, defence and economy ministers, who have resisted his projects and policies.

A gentler reshuffle was seen as possible. However. Salvini himself has refrained from publicly attacking Di Maio over his opposition to the rail project, which involves a 8.6-billion-euro ($9.8-billion) tunnel through the Alps.

Opinion polls indicate Salvini's League party would win the election and could govern in alliance with another, smaller far-right party, Fratelli d'Italia.

"The League and M5S have been diverging in their vision for too long, on matters that are fundamental for the country," the League said in its statement on Thursday.

"This government's only option is to let Italians have their say" by calling elections, it added.

President Sergio Mattarella has insisted there must be a government in place to finalise the budget, a first draft of which has be submitted to EU authorities by the end of September.

To that end, the president could name a government of technocrats and push the elections back to February or March.

The government is struggling to rein in its public deficit and its mammoth debt mountain of more than 2.3 trillion euros.
Matteo Salvini, Italian Deputy Prime Minister, announces the collapse of the coalition government with the Five Stars Movement, opening the possibility of holding a snap election.