Italy.. 4 Days of Talks to Check Whether Conte's Government Still Alive

Hours ago, Italy’s president tasked a parliamentary leader with determining within just few days whether the squabbling parties in caretaker Giuseppe Conte’s collapsed government can unite anew to steer the country amid the pandemic.

The announcement by President Sergio Mattarella’s office did not explain whether Conte would ultimately be tapped to chair what could be his third coalition government since June 2018.

Instead, it said that Chamber of Deputies President Roberto Fico was asked to report back to Mattarella by the end of Tuesday on whether a reborn coalition was achievable.

According to AFP, Fico is a prominent figure in the populist 5-Star Movement, the largest party in back-to-back coalitions under Conte.

Earlier, Mattarella clearly stated that Italy — which has suffered Europe’s second-highest Covid-19 death toll — could afford to waste no time in finding a new government.