ROME – Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte of Italy resigned on Tuesday after weeks of political infighting, thrusting the country into renewed instability as the coronavirus pandemic ravages lives and livelihoods.
Mr. Conte stepped down after failing to cobble together enough senators to support his government. Two weeks ago, he lost the support of Italia Viva, the political party of former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. Renzi complained that Conte’s management of the pandemic has bypassed the Parliament because he allowed decisions based on reports of unelected task forces. He also blamed Mr. Conte for dragging his heels on deciding where to allocate hundreds of billions of euros in recovery funds that Italy will receive from the European Union.
Nicola Zingaretti, the leader of Democratic Party, which Mr. Renzi once led and has been a key part of Mr. Conte’s second coalition, said in a Twitter post that he was “with Conte for a new government” supported by a “broad base.”
Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio of the populist Five Star Movement, which brought about Mr. Conte’s appointment as prime minister in 2018, called on supporters to rally around the prime minister. (PN/The New York Times)
