Premier-designate, Giuseppe Conte,
continued to hold talks on Friday as he prepares a list of
ministers for the 5-Star Movement (M5S), League coalition
government he has been given a mandate to try to form.
Conte, a 54-year-old law professor from Puglia with no
political experience, had a round of meetings with the parties
in parliament on Thursday and he also talked to representatives
of investors who lost money in a series of recent bank crises.
He met Bank of Italy Governor Ignazio Visco on Friday before
talks with M5S leader Luigi Di Maio and League leader Matteo
Salvini.
There appears to be tension between President Sergio
Mattarella and the League-M5S over the cabinet, in particular
the possibility that 82-year-old Euroskeptic economist Paolo
Savona could become economy minister.
Di Maio and Salvini seem intent on sticking by the choice of
Savona despite reported misgivings on the part of Mattarella.
It is a prerogative of the head of State to approve
ministers, after discussions with the premier-designate.
Sources at Mattarella's office said Thursday that the big
issue on the formation of a new government was not supposed
vetoes against some ministers but, on the contrary, possible
diktats to the premier and the head of State on the exercise of
the functions given to them by the Constitution.
Conte said that he talked "about the state of the Italian
economy" during a meeting with Visco.
He responded "we'll see" when reporters asked whether he
would meet President Sergio Mattarella later on Friday.
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