GENOA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th January, 2021) Italian senator and Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs Ricardo Merlo has announced the formation of a political group in the Senate to support Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who finds his government at risk of collapse ahead of a pair of confidence votes this coming week.
Merlo, an Italian politician of Argentine origin, is the founder of MAIE, the Associative Movement of Italians Abroad, which has three seats in the Chamber of Deputies and four in the Senate.
"The MAIE-Italia23 faction was born today in the Senate in order to create a political space that has Giuseppe Conte as a reference point," Merlo said, as quoted by MAIE's official website.
According to the senator, the new group will look to offer a forward-looking perspective.
"We are not looking for those responsible, but for those who can build something, and to them we offer just one thing - a political perspective for the future, in order to find the way of rebirth and resilience, in the interests of Italy," Merlo said.
On Thursday, Merlo wrote on his Facebook page that the position of his movement, which backs Conte in explicit terms, was clear. He also accused Italia Viva party leader Matteo Renzi of pushing Italy into a deep crisis while the COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing.
"We do this openly, with transparency, and we invite all fellow senators interested in a constructive approach and in working from now on for the purposes of this legislature and for the good of the country and Italian people, to join the group," Merlo added.
On Wednesday, Renzi, whose party works within the governing coalition, announced the resignation of two Italia Viva ministers from the cabinet in protest against an economic recovery plan promoted by Conte and adopted on Wednesday morning.
Renzi's decision means that the ruling coalition risks losing its parliamentary majority, prompting Conte to turn to lawmakers for a pair of confidence votes. On Monday, the lower house of parliament is expected to vote, followed by the upper house one day later.
