The Italian party Italia Viva led by Matteo Renzi, formerly of the Partito Democratico, has pulled out of the governing coalition led by Giuseppe Conte, effectively bringing down the government. Mr. Conte will face a confidence vote in the Italian senate on Tuesday.

Many thanks to Hellequin GB for translating this article from PolitikStube:

Government crisis in Italy — coalition burst

And it went BOOM — the coalition in Italy broke, after all, it lasted longer than expected. The reasons for the end seem somehow familiar: Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte ruled alone during the pandemic, did not involve parliament and did not respect democracy.

Could NOW be the hour for the Lega Nord and Matteo Salvini, by far the most popular politician in Italy? After all, the right-wing parties — Fratelli d’Italia, the Lega and Forza Italia — together make up 50% in the current polls.

From Krone.at:

The coalition government in Italy has collapsed: two ministers from the ranks of the splinter party “Italia Viva” led by ex-Prime Minister Matteo Renzi resigned on Wednesday. Agriculture Minister Teresa Bellanova and Family Minister Elena Bonetti are leaving the cabinet of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, Renzi announced at a press conference on Wednesday in the Chamber of Deputies. State Secretary Ivan Scalfarotto, who is also a member of “Italia Viva”, submitted his resignation.

Renzi explained that the resignation of the ministers resulted from disagreements with the prime minister over the multi-billion dollar recovery plan that the government passed on Wednesday night. “Democracy has certain forms that have to be respected, which has not happened in the last year,” said Renzi. He accused Conte of running the country on his own during the pandemic, without considering parliament and without consulting with his coalition partners.

See also this Reuters article (hat tip Reader from Chicago):

Italy Thrown Into Political Crisis as Renzi Sinks Government

ROME (Reuters) — Italy’s former premier Matteo Renzi pulled his small party out of government on Wednesday, stripping the ruling coalition of its parliamentary majority and triggering political chaos even as the nation battles a resurgent COVID-19.

Renzi lambasted Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte’s style of leadership, saying he was trying to hoard power, but he left open the possibility of rejoining the cabinet if his demands for a policy revamp and greater accountability were acted on.