The current Italian senator, former prime minister and head of the political party “Italia Viva” (IV), Matteo Renzi holds a press conference on January 13, 2021 at the Italian Chamber of Deputies in Rome.
ALBERTO PIZZOLI AFP | Getty Images
LONDON – Former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi announced on Wednesday his intention to remove his centrist party from the ruling coalition, plunging the country back into political chaos as it struggles with the reappearance of the coronavirus.
Speaking at a long-awaited press conference, Renzi said that two ministers from his Italia Viva party will resign. It leaves the government without a majority in parliament and on the verge of collapse.
Renzi’s support was essential to the survival of the coalition led by the Five Star anti-establishment movement and the center-left Democratic Party.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said he hoped Renzi would not remove his ministers from the cabinet, warning that the country would not be able to understand why the government had collapsed amid the ongoing health crisis.
The Five Star Movement and the Democratic Party also urged Renzi to maintain the unity of the ruling government at a time when the country is trying to vaccinate its citizens and prevent further damage to the economy.
The South European nation is no stranger to political conflicts, tensions and scandals. Rome’s weak majorities have led to more than 60 governments since World War II.
However, the latest political dispute comes at a particularly painful time, with the number of coronavirus infections and deaths in Italy currently being among the highest in Europe. The disagreement focuses on EU funds and how they will revive the Italian economy after the pandemic.
To date, Italy has recorded 2.3 million Covid-19 cases and 79,819 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
The country’s gross domestic product is projected to decline by around 10% in 2020.