Milan – Italy’s ruling coalition is not unraveling and will hold together even after European parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte told media on Sunday.
Conte is an Italian jurist and politician serving as the 58th and current Prime Minister of Italy since June 1, 2018.
On Friday, rating agency, Fitch, said it did not expect the government to last a full term due to ideological differences between the coalition partners, with early elections a possibility from the second half of this year.
“Quite honestly, I just don’t see all this political uncertainty,” Conte told daily Corriere della Sera.
Tensions in the coalition are running high with the League and 5-Star allies at odds over a long list of issues, as the economy tips into recession.
Speculation is growing that European parliamentary elections slated for May 23 to 26 can upset the balance of power in Italy and prompt one of the partners to call for early elections.
Earlier this month, the League surged ahead in local elections in central Italy while its 5-Star partner lost ground.
Regional elections are taking place in Sardinia on Sunday.
An economic slowdown could make it hard for Rome to meet its deficit target of 2.04 per cent of GDP this year, a hard-won compromise agreed with the EU Commission in December.
However, Conte ruled out the imposition of a wealth tax and said there would be no need for any “corrective” budget this year.
“Also because we inserted a precautionary mechanism that envisages a 2 billion euro block on spending in July should public finances prove not to be in line with forecasts,’’ Conte added.