Salvini backs coalition, quelling breakup fears

Bloomberg

Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini had everyone worried he would force the collapse of Italy’s government. Now he’s won concessions that have
appeased him, at least for the moment.
Premier Giuseppe Conte handed Salvini a victory with support for a high-speed Alpine rail link with France, a project the rightist League chief has championed in a long-running clash with fellow-Deputy Premier Luigi Di Maio of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement.
The move comes just before Conte addresses parliament at 4:30 p.m. on the so-called “Russiagate” scandal dogging the League party leader.
“I’ve always said that if the government gets things done, the government goes ahead,” Salvini told reporters.
“Yesterday and today, there have been good signs that things are moving.”
Conte said that stopping work on the rail link would cost more than going ahead — an embarrassment for Five Star, which has long opposed the plan on environmental grounds. On Tuesday, Conte hosted talks with participants including Salvini that allocated $56 billion to infrastructure projects, the League leader said in a Facebook post.
Salvini has been weighing whether to ditch Five Star in a bid to trigger early general elections this fall, repeatedly accusing his partners of blocking his campaign promises. Conte’s move on the multi-billion-euro project aims to persuade the League leader to stick with the coalition.