Italian president summons Conte, expected to give new govt mandate

Italian president summons Conte, expected to give new govt mandate

Italian President Sergio Mattarella has summoned outgoing Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte for a meeting on Thursday at 9:30 am (0730 GMT), Mattarella's spokesman says. Mattarella is widely expected to ask Conte to try to form a new government, after the Five Star Movement and Democratic Party suggested him for the role.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella has summoned outgoing Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte for a meeting on Thursday morning at 9.30 a.m. (0730 GMT), a presidential official said on Wednesday.

The announcement signalled that Conte was likely to receive a mandate to try to form a new government with the ruling 5-Star Movement and the opposition Democratic Party (PD).

Conte resigned last week after the far-right League party withdrew from its coalition with the 5-Star, forcing Mattarella to hold consultations with all Italy's main political parties to try to find a way out of the political chaos.

Both 5-Star and the PD told the president they were willing to try to form an administration with Conte at the helm.