Italy is facing the prospect of fresh national elections after the third round of official negotiations to form a functional coalition government failed.
Italian president Sergio Mattarella called an end to formal talks on Monday, more than two months after national elections resulted in a hung parliament.
Mattarella has signalled that there are two options left for Italy – fresh national elections, or the installation of a neutral caretaker government until the end of the year, to allow parties to negotiate the end of the political deadlock that has crippled the Italian government.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“We can’t wait any longer,” he said. “Let the parties decide of their own free will if they should give full powers to a government... or else new elections in the month of July or the autumn.”
The 4 March election resulted in a three-way split of influence in the Italian parliament. The centre-right League coalition which includes Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia group won about 37% of the vote, followed by the Five Star Movement on around 32%. The centre-left Democratic Party came in third.
Mattarella has since tried “various combinations among the parties in an effort to find a coalition that could secure a parliamentary majority”, says The Wall Street Journal.
The two “most influential parties, Five Star and The League, favour a new vote in July”, says the BBC.
-
The broken water companies failing England and WalesExplainer With rising bills, deteriorating river health and a lack of investment, regulators face an uphill battle to stabilise the industry
-
A thrilling foodie city in northern JapanThe Week Recommends The food scene here is ‘unspoilt’ and ‘fun’
-
Are AI bots conspiring against us?Talking Point Moltbook, the AI social network where humans are banned, may be the tip of the iceberg
-
Epstein files topple law CEO, roil UK governmentSpeed Read Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the US, is caught up in the scandal
-
Iran and US prepare to meet after skirmishesSpeed Read The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
