Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said
Friday that Premier Giuseppe Conte's government must not be
allowed to collapse, as the centrist Italia Viva (IV) party
continued to threaten to pull its support due to a row about the
COVID-19 Recovery Plan.
"This government must continue," Di Maio, a senior member of the
5-Star Movement (M5S), said via Facebook.
"The country cannot risk falling into a state of paralysis.
"Palace games are not acceptable. Transparency is needed.
"Let's all work together on a more articulated government pact
that gives certainties on the various issue to each political
party (in the ruling coalition), but together with Giuseppe
Conte, who must be respected and supported".
IV leader and ex-premier Matteo Renzi has repeatedly blasted as
lacking ambition the government's plan on how to use over 200
billion euros Italy will get from the EU in grants and
low-interest loans.
Conte and several senior ministers are set to hold a crunch
meeting on the Recovery Plan with representatives of the parties
in the ruling coalition later on Friday.
In addition to IV and the M5S, the ruling coalition also
features the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) and the left-wing
LeU group.
Agriculture Minister and IV bigwig Teresa Bellanova said her
party's patience was running out.
"We are making a big effort because, as far as I'm concerned,
time is up," Bellanova told La7 television early on Friday.
"We are not asking for positions (in government) but solutions
that have not been forthcoming.
"We should have had very clear signals by now.
"No one is indispensable here.
"I'm not, IV is not and neither is the premier".
She subsequently told State broadcaster RAI that IV wanted see
the text of the Recovery Plan before Friday's meeting.
"The premier should recognise that this experience is at the end
of the line and say if we all are able to start over," she said.
PD leader and Lazio Governor Nicola Zingaretti said it would be
an "unforgivable mistake" to trigger the collapse the government
and early elections in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said replacing the Conte executive with an administration led
by technocrats could "open the door to the return of the
national right".
Zingaretti added that Conte should take proposals made by the
various parties in the coalition to draft a pact for a programme
the rest of the current parliamentary term.
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