Populist coalition of Italy nears crunch time

Bloomberg

Italy’s fractious populist coalition lurches into a make-or-break week as Matteo Salvini decides whether to try to force snap elections while Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte struggles to salvage the government.
The fate of the coalition hangs on a possible meeting between Deputy Premier Salvini and his ally-cum-rival Luigi Di Maio of the Five Star Movement, and government talks on granting more powers to northern regions — a landmark issue for Salvini’s rightist League. Conte is due to address parliament on the “Russiagate” scandal.
“I want to unite this country, and to govern we need autonomy,” Salvini told a rally in northern Lombardy. “We don’t accept a ‘No’ which is what’s happening now.”
Salvini, the dominant force in the administration, has repeatedly threatened to scupper the ruling coalition. Tensions with the anti-establishment Five Star have escalated since the League became Italy’s biggest party in May’s European parliamentary elections.
Supporting the move are soaring poll numbers that see the League within shooting distance of the 40 percent needed for a majority in parliament. Yet, while ditching Five Star could trigger a snap vote as early as September, the decision is ultimately up to President Sergio Mattarella.