Italy close to government deal as Conte meets party chiefs
ROME - The ruling 5-Star Movement and the opposition Democratic Party appeared on the verge of a deal to form a new Italian government on Monday after the PD indicated it had abandoned a veto on Giuseppe Conte serving another term as prime minister.
President Sergio Mattarella has given 5-Star a chance to avert a snap election by forming a new coalition with the PD. Last week he told them to report back by Tuesday, but on Monday he extended the deadline by an extra day to Wednesday. “We are working to give Italy a new government... I think we are on the right track. I am optimistic,” Zingaretti told reporters after a meeting earlier in the day with Di Maio.
Assuming there are no major hitches in negotiations over policy and ministerial posts, the new coalition government - Italy’s 67th since World War Two - could be sworn in early next week. 5-Star’s leadership has been divided between factions that favor a coalition with the PD and others who believe it would shatter the party’s anti-establishment image and accelerate a decline in voter support it has suffered over the last year.
Mattarella will meet with minor parties at his palace on Tuesday, before hearing the PD on Wednesday at 1400 GMT and closing his consultations with 5-Star at 1700 GMT.
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