ARRIVEDERCI

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte Says He Will Resign After Delivering Fiery Speech to Parliament

Giuseppe Conte promised to resign after delivering a fiery speech to parliament in which he called his far-right vice premier Matteo Salvini unstatesmanlike.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte promised to resign on Tuesday after delivering a blistering address to parliament in which he chided one of his deputies for being unstatesmanlike. The latest chaos comes after his far-right Interior Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini pulled the plug on the fractious coalition government he has co-led with the anti-establishment Five Star Movement since last June. Conte criticized Salvini for putting his personal interests before those of the state and for robbing the government of the opportunity to carry out important reforms. Conte said that he would deliver his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella later on Tuesday after listening to several hours of scheduled parliamentary debate. At that point, Mattarella can try to form a new coalition government based on the 2018 election outcome or call new elections within 70 days. The last time Italy voted in the autumn was in 1919, when they paved the way for the rise of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.