President Sergio Mattarella on Monday
gave former spending review chief Carlo Cottarelli a mandate to
form an interim technocrat government, the head of State's
office said.
Cottarelli accepted the mandate with reservation amid an
unprecedented institutional crisis.
An effort to form a 5-Star Movement/League government led by
law professor Giuseppe Conte collapsed on Sunday when Mattarella
refused to approve the nomination of Euroskeptic economist Paolo
Savona as economy minister, citing the risk of financial
turbulence.
This prompted a furious reaction from League leader Matteo
Salvini, who accused the president of representing the interests
of other states instead of Italy, and M5S leader Luigi Di Maio,
who has called for the head of State's impeachment.
Cottarelli said Mattarella has asked him to try and form an
interim government to govern Italy until elections in early
2019.
"I will present a programme that, in the case in which the
executive wins a confidence vote, includes the approval of the
budget law and them the dissolution of parliament and elections
in 2019," Cottarelli said.
He added that, if his government does not win parliament's
confidence, elections will be held after August.
"The government would maintain complete neutrality with
respect to the election debate," Cottarelli said.
"I commit myself to not standing and I'll ask the same
commitment from all the members of a future government".
Italy has been in the hands of Premier Paolo Gentiloni's
outgoing executive since the inconclusive March 4 election.
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