5-Star, League seek Italian president’s backing on coalition govt

Italy’s president has convened the leaders of the anti-establishment parties for consultations on Monday. They could lead to the first populist government in the eurozone’s third largest economy. The leader of the 5-Stars, Luigi Di Maio, and League leader Matteo Salvini indicated agreement Sunday on a candidate for premier to present to President Sergio Mattarella, who must grant his approval before a parliamentary confidence vote, AP said. The leading candidate for the PM, according to  Italian media, is a university professor, Giuseppe Conte, who is not a lawmaker. Conte was proposed as a possible minister by 5-Star before the vote.