Italy’s kingmaker Mattarella holds talks after PM Conte resigns

Italian President Sergio Mattarella has begun talks with key players in a bid to end Italy’s political limbo the day after Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte resigned.

The usually mild-mannered Conte handed in his resignation after lashing out at far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini for pursuing his own interests by pulling the plug on the ruling coalition with the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S).

The move left the eurozone’s third largest economy in a political vacuum until Mattarella decides whether to form a new coalition or call an election after talks with parties in the coming days.

Meanwhile Mattarella charged Conte with heading a caretaker administration, pending consultations on a new government which are set to begin at 1400 GMT.

Italy’s constitution says that Mattarella should first consult former presidents, meaning Senator Giorgio Napolitano, 94, who was in the job from 2006-2015.

Those talks will be by telephone as Napolitano is not in Rome, and will be followed by talks with house speakers and the leaders of political groups.

“It is irresponsible to initiate a government crisis,” Conte told the Senate on Tuesday after Salvini tried to bring down the government in the hope of snap elections that could make him premier.

Salvini plunged Italy into crisis with the shock announcement on August 8 that his anti-migrant League party was pulling out of the 14-month coalition government with the M5S.