Political novice approved to be Italy's next prime minister

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Italian President Sergio Mattarella on Wednesday gave Giuseppe Conte a mandate to become prime minister of a coalition put together by the far-right League and anti-establishment Five Star Movement.

Conte, a Florence law professor, will now draw up a list of ministers, which must be approved by the head of state before his government can be sworn in.

Italy has been deadlocked since an inconclusive election in March. After weeks of fruitless talks between the various parties, Five Star and the League finally agreed to a government pact last Friday, promising to hike taxes and jack up spending.

Italian lawyer Giuseppe Conte addresses journalists after a meeting with Italy's President Sergio Mattarella, May 23, 2018, at the Quirinale presidential palace in Rome. /VCG Photo

Conte holds no elected position and has no political or management experience. Critics say he risks being a weak leader who will have little influence over his coalition partners.

Tough task

Conte must now prove he can lead the eurozone's third-largest economy.

The prime minister-designate, who is unaffiliated to any party, emerged from obscurity on Monday when Five Star and the League announced he was the compromise choice to lead their coalition government.

"Outside here there is a country that needs answers," Conte said after receiving the mandate to form a government from Mattarella. "I will be the defense lawyer of the Italian people."

Financial markets have heavily sold-off Italian stocks and government bonds at the prospect of an inexperienced, euroskeptic government.

Criticism addressed

League chief Matteo Salvini had to address widespread criticism that Conte will be a puppet of the two parties' leaders. "He won't merely carry out our orders, he will have to be independent," Salvini told reporters as Conte met Mattarella.

The president, who formally appoints the prime minister, took his time before endorsing Conte, whose curriculum vitae has come under scrutiny this week by the world's media.

Italian lawyer Giuseppe Conte leaves after a meeting with Italy's President Sergio Mattarella, May 23, 2018, at the Quirinale presidential palace in Rome. /VCG Photo

Conte, 53, said he had "perfected his judicial studies" at numerous foreign institutions, including Cambridge University, New York University and the Sorbonne in Paris. Most of the universities said they could find no trace of him on their databases, but Conte said he had attended in an informal capacity to use their facilities and meet colleagues and had made no false claims.

Crucially, both Five Star and the League, which had spent weeks trying to find a mutually acceptable candidate, stuck by him and piled pressure on Mattarella to accept their recommendation.

"He is an Italian with no powerful sponsors ... who has decided to put himself on the line to change this country," Five Star wrote on its website.

Plans for government

Despite his lack of party ties, Five Star proposed Conte among others as possible ministers before inconclusive elections on March 4 when he promised to simplify Italy's labyrinthine bureaucracy.

"First we have to drastically abolish useless laws," Conte said, adding that there were "many more" than the 400 pieces of superfluous legislation previously cited by Five Star leader Luigi Di Maio.

A smart dresser with a penchant for waistcoats, cufflinks and a white handkerchief poking out of his breast pocket, Conte teaches at Florence University and also practices as a lawyer in Rome.

Conte must now return to Mattarella with his cabinet team, which many observers say has already been decided mainly by Di Maio and Salvini.

The powerful job of the economy minister will be the trickiest appointment. The League is pushing for the euroskeptic economist Paolo Savona but Mattarella, who has the final say, has already let it be known he is not happy with the choice.

If all goes smoothly, Conte could have his government sworn in early next week, ready to face the necessary confidence votes in both houses of parliament.

(With inputs from agencies)

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