Italian Prime minister Giuseppe Conte handed in his resignation on Tuesday 26 January after Italia Viva (IV), one of the governing coalition’s five parties, withdrew its support. The crisis was provoked by disagreements between Conte and the head of IV, former PM Matteo Renzi, over the management of the Covid-19 pandemic and the allocation of European Recovery Plan funds.
President Sergio Mattarella has begun consultations with party leaders to ascertain whether a majority exists to support a new Conte government, or whether another figure should lead.