The Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has informed President Sergio Mattarella that he will form a new coalition government with the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) and Democratic Party (PD) after the two agreed on a joint policy program. The presidential office confirmed the development by saying that the swearing-in ceremony is scheduled for Thursday morning.
The two political rivals have cast their differences aside to avoid snap elections after the previous coalition consisting of the M5S and the right-wing League Party collapsed last month. The move has effectively sidelined the former deputy prime minister and the League leader, Matteo Salvini, who pushed for the early vote in a bid to capitalize on his party’s rising support.
The head of the M5S, Luigi di Maio, has already been named as the foreign minister within the new government while the post of Interior Minister – a position previously held by Salvini – will go to Luciana Lamorgese, a career civil servant without any political affiliations.
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