(ANSA) - Rome, January 22 - Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio on Wednesday said he was quitting as leader of the 5-Star Movement (M5S) following a stream of defections from the ruling anti-establishment party.
Former minister Vito Crimi is set to take over as caretaker leader up till an 'estates general' summit in mid-March, sources said.
Pressure has built on the M5S leader after the loss of 18 MPs in the last few weeks, and 31 since the current parliament was voted in in 2018.
Several dailies including Corriere della Sera, La Repubblica and La Stampa said Wednesday that Di Maio was on the verge of resigning.
They said he felt he was no longer able to cope with the combined pressure of his government duties and the day-to-day running of the M5S.
Premier Giuseppe Conte said Wednesday he would "respect" Di Maio's decision if he were to quit the M5S leadership.
"If it were his decision I would respect him," he said, "even though it will be sad on the personal level".
Conte said pressure had been put on Di Maio.
"Di Maio has been pulled by the jacket, so lets's wait for him to take an initiative," he told Italian radio.
M5S founder, the stand-up comic Beppe Grillo, has so far stood by Di Maio after a string of disappointing local election results.
The party's poll ratings have dropped to less than a half the 33% it won at the 2018 general election, to about 15-16%.
But is scored fall below even that at last year's Umbria regional elections, and is expected to poll badly in Emilia Romagna and Calabria on Sunday.