New Italian government readies for power

New Italian government readies for power
Copyright Italian Presidential Press Office/Handout via REUTERS
By Pascale Davies
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Italy's new government is set to be sworn in on Friday. Alongside Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, Matteo Salvini, leader of The League, will serve as Interior Minister; Luigi Di Maio, leader of Five-Star, will be Minister of Industry and Labour

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Italy's anti-establishment coalition partners reached a new deal on Thursday, promising to end three months of political turmoil.

The leaders have again nominated Giuseppe Conte as Prime Minister in Rome's populist government.

On Thursday evening, Conte presented his cabinet list to President Sergio Mattarella, who will swear in the government on Friday at 4pm local time.

Conte is a little-known law professor who gave up a mandate to form a government over the weekend.

The Five Star Movement and the far-right League revived their alliance after agreeing to substitute the eurosceptic professor, Paolo Savona, as the economy minister. Savona was rejected for the job by the head of state.

Economics professor Giovanni Tria will get the pivotal post of economics minister instead. He is critical of the European Union but has not advocated leaving the euro.

"All the conditions have been fulfilled for a political, 5-Star and League government," 5-Star chief Di Maio and far-right League leader Salvini said in a joint statement.

5-Star leader Luigi Di Maio, who had called for the head of state to be impeached, will become the Labour and Industry Minister.

He will have the task of implementing 5-Star's flagship policy of a guaranteed income for the poor of up to €780 per month.

The leader of the League party, Matteo Salvini is to become the interior minister. He has promised to ramp up deportations of irregular immigrants.

Enzo Moavero Milanesi is set to become the foreign minister while Savano, after his ousting as economy minister, is tipped to become the EU affairs minister.

Thursday's coalition deal removes the risk of a repeat vote.

It's promising news for global financial markets, which have been recovering over the past two days after tumbling earlier this week over the prospect of a new Italian election and debate over Italy's future in the eurozone.

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