Giuseppe Conte (; born 8 August 1964) is an Italian

jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyses and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal qualification in law and often a legal practitioner. In the Uni ...

, academic, and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

who served as

prime minister of Italy The Prime Minister of Italy, officially the President of the Council of Ministers ( it, link=no, Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri), is the head of government of the Italian Republic. The office of president of the Council of Ministers is ...

from June 2018 to February 2021. He has been the president of the Five Star Movement (M5S) since August 2021. Conte spent the greater part of his career as a

private law Private law is that part of a civil law legal system which is part of the ''jus commune'' that involves relationships between individuals, such as the law of contracts and torts (as it is called in the common law), and the law of obligations ( ...

professor and was also a member of the Italian Bureau of Administrative Justice from 2013 to 2018. Following the

2018 Italian general election The 2018 Italian general election was held on 4 March 2018 after the Italian Parliament was dissolved by President Sergio Mattarella on 28 December 2017. Voters were electing the 630 members of the Chamber of Deputies and the 315 elective membe ...

, he was proposed as the independent leader of a coalition government between the M5S and the

League League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

, despite his having never held any political position before. After both parties agreed on a programme of government, he was sworn in as Prime Minister on 1 June by President

Sergio Mattarella Sergio Mattarella (; born 23 July 1941) is an Italian politician, jurist, academic and lawyer who has served as the president of Italy since 2015. A Christian leftist politician, Mattarella was a leading member of the Christian Democracy par ...

, appointing the M5S and League leaders as his joint deputies. In August 2019, the League filed a

motion of no confidence A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...

in the

coalition government A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...

and Conte offered to resign as Prime Minister; the M5S and the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

agreed to form a new government, with Conte remaining at its head. This made Conte the first Prime Minister to lead two separate Italian governments made up of right-wing and left-wing coalition partners. Despite having begun his political career as a technocrat, appointed to implement the government programme of M5S and the League, during the final months of his first cabinet and throughout his second one Conte became an increasingly influential and popular figure in Italian politics. During his premiership, he introduced important reforms including the introduction of a

guaranteed minimum income Guaranteed minimum income (GMI), also called minimum income (or mincome for short), is a social-welfare system that guarantees all citizens or families an income sufficient to live on, provided that certain eligibility conditions are met, typical ...

, a

constitutional reform A constitutional amendment is a modification of the constitution of a polity, organization or other type of entity. Amendments are often interwoven into the relevant sections of an existing constitution, directly altering the text. Conversely, ...

to reduce the number of parliamentarians,

nationalization Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to pri ...

s of ASPI (Italy's highway company),

Alitalia Alitalia - Società Aerea Italiana Società per azioni, S.p.A., operating as Alitalia (), was an Italian airline which was once the flag carrier and largest airline of Italy. The company had its head office in Fiumicino, Metropolitan City of ...

(the Italian

flag carrier A flag carrier is a transport company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given sovereign state, enjoys preferential rights or privileges accorded by the government for international operations. Hist ...

), and

Ilva ILVA is a Danish chain of furniture stores, offering mostly Scandinavian-style bed-, dining- and living room products. The company was founded in 1974, and currently runs eight stores in the Nordic countries. It also had three stores in Brit ...

(Italy's largest steel company), as well as a stricter policy towards

illegal immigration Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of the immigration laws of that country or the continued residence without the legal right to live in that country. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upwar ...

. In 2020, Italy became one of the countries worst affected by the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. His government was the first in the Western world to implement a national lockdown to stop the spread of the disease. Despite being widely approved by public opinion, the lockdown was also described as the largest suppression of

constitutional right A constitutional right can be a prerogative or a duty, a power or a restraint of power, recognized and established by a sovereign state or union of states. Constitutional rights may be expressly stipulated in a national constitution, or they may ...

s in the history of the Italian Republic. Conte's extensive use of prime ministerial decrees to impose restrictions aimed at containing the pandemic gave rise to criticism from journalists, political analysts, and opposition politicians, even if it was widely appreciated by public opinion, as shown by several opinion polls. The

economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic has had far-reaching economic consequences including the COVID-19 recession, the second largest global recession in recent history, decreased business in the services sector during the COVID-19 lockdowns, the 2020 stock ...

was especially severe in Italy. In July 2020, to assist with the

COVID-19 recession The COVID-19 recession, also referred to as the Great Lockdown, is a global recession, global economic recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The recession began in most countries in February 2020. After a year of global economic slowdown ...

, Conte and other European leaders approved the

Next Generation EU Next Generation EU (NGEU, also called the European Union Recovery Instrument) is a European Union (EU) economic recovery package to support the EU member states to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular those that have been particul ...

package, by which Italy will receive 209 billion euros in grants and loans from the European Recovery Fund. When

Matteo Renzi Matteo Renzi (; born 11 January 1975) is an Italian politician who served as prime minister of Italy from 2014 to 2016. He has been a senator for Florence since 2018. Renzi has served as the leader of Italia Viva (IV) since 2019, having been ...

Italia Viva Italia Viva (, IV) is a liberal political party in Italy founded in September 2019. The party is led by Matteo Renzi, a former Prime Minister of Italy and former secretary of the Democratic Party (PD). History Background Matteo Renzi started ...

withdrew its support for Conte's government, it started the

2021 Italian government crisis The 2021 Italian government crisis was a political event in Italy that began in January 2021 and ended the following month. It includes the events that follow the announcement of Matteo Renzi, leader of Italia Viva (IV) and former Prime Ministe ...

in January. Although Conte was able to win confidence votes in Parliament in the subsequent days, he chose to resign after failing to reach an

absolute majority A supermajority, supra-majority, qualified majority, or special majority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level of support which is greater than the threshold of more than one-half used for a simple majority. Supermajority ru ...

in the Senate. When negotiations to form Conte's third cabinet failed, the former

president of the European Central Bank The president of the European Central Bank is the head of the European Central Bank (ECB), the main institution responsible for the management of the euro and monetary policy in the Eurozone of the European Union (EU). The current president of ...

Mario Draghi Mario Draghi (; born 3 September 1947) is an Italian economist, academic, banker and civil servant who served as prime minister of Italy from February 2021 to October 2022. Prior to his appointment as prime minister, he served as President of ...

was asked to form a

national unity government A national unity government, government of national unity (GNU), or national union government is a broad coalition government consisting of all parties (or all major parties) in the legislature, usually formed during a time of war or other nati ...

. Conte was the fifth Prime Minister appointed without prior political experience, after

Carlo Azeglio Ciampi Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (; 9 December 1920 – 16 September 2016) was an Italian politician and banker who was the prime minister of Italy from 1993 to 1994 and the president of Italy from 1999 to 2006. Biography Education Ciampi was born i ...

Silvio Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; born 29 September 1936) is an Italian media tycoon and politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy in four governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies ...

Lamberto Dini Lamberto Dini CGMG (born 1 March 1931) is an Italian politician and economist. He was the Director General of Bank of Italy from 1979 to 1994, Minister of Treasury from 1994 to 1996, the 51st Prime Minister of Italy from 1995 to 1996, and Forei ...

, and

Mario Monti Mario Monti, (born 19 March 1943) is an Italian economist and academic who served as the Prime Minister of Italy from 2011 to 2013, leading a technocratic government in the wake of the Italian debt crisis. Monti served as a European Commiss ...

, as well as the first from

Southern Italy Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion of the Italian Republic consisting of its southern half. The term ''Mezzogiorno'' today refers to regions that are associated with the peop ...

since

Ciriaco De Mita Luigi Ciriaco De Mita (; 2 February 1928 – 26 May 2022) was an Italian politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy from April 1988 to July 1989. A member of the Christian Democracy (DC), De Mita served as its secretary and leader from Ma ...

in 1989. Conte was also the longest-serving independent prime minister in the history of Italy, even though he was widely seen as close to the M5S. Because of his leadership style, Conte has often been considered one of the leading examples of techno-populism, while his first cabinet was described by many publications, such as ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' and ''

la Repubblica ''la Repubblica'' (; the Republic) is an Italian daily general-interest newspaper. It was founded in 1976 in Rome by Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso (now known as GEDI Gruppo Editoriale) and led by Eugenio Scalfari, Carlo Caracciolo and Arnoldo ...

'', as the "first modern populist government in Western Europe". Conte has often been called "the people's lawyer" (''l'avvocato del popolo''), as he described himself during his first speech as Prime Minister.

Early life and career

Conte was born on 8 August 1964 into a middle-class family at

Volturara Appula Volturara Appula is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Foggia in the Apulia region of southeast Italy. Once a flourishing city, the comune now has a population of less than 400. History The date of his foundation is not known; the first h ...

, near

Foggia Foggia (, , ; nap, label= Foggiano, Fògge ) is a city and former ''comune'' of Apulia, in Southern Italy, capital of the province of Foggia. In 2013, its population was 153,143. Foggia is the main city of a plain called Tavoliere, also known ...

. His father Nicola was a public employee in the local municipality, while his mother Lillina Roberti was an elementary school teacher. After his family moved to

San Giovanni Rotondo San Giovanni Rotondo is the name of a town and ''comune'' in the province of Foggia and region of Apulia, in southern Italy. San Giovanni Rotondo was the home of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina from 28 July 1916 until his death on 23 September 1968. T ...

, Conte attended the

Classical Lyceum Liceo classico or Ginnasio (literally ''classical lyceum'') is the oldest, public secondary school type in Italy. Its educational curriculum spans over five years, when students are generally about 14 to 19 years of age. Until 1969, this was ...

Pietro Giannone Pietro Giannone (7 May 1676 – 17 March 1748) was an Italian philosopher, historian and jurist born in Ischitella, in the province of Foggia. He opposed the papal influence in Naples, for which he was excommunicated and imprisoned for twelve ...

" in

San Marco in Lamis San Marco in Lamis ( �sændə ˈmærkə is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Foggia in the Apulia region of southeast Italy. It is located in the Gargano massif area within the Parco Nazionale del Gargano and it belongs to the Comunità Mont ...

and then studied law at the

Sapienza University of Rome The Sapienza University of Rome ( it, Sapienza – Università di Roma), also called simply Sapienza or the University of Rome, and formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", is a Public university, public research university l ...

, where he graduated in 1988, with honors. In 1992, he formally qualified as a lawyer, before, for a short term, studying abroad. In the same year, he moved to the United States to study at

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by ''U ...

and

Duquesne University Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( or ; Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a private Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened as the Pittsbu ...

, and at the International Culture Institute in Vienna in 1993. He later researched or lectured at

Sorbonne University Sorbonne University (french: Sorbonne Université; la Sorbonne: 'the Sorbonne') is a public research university located in Paris, France. The institution's legacy reaches back to 1257 when Sorbonne College was established by Robert de Sorbon ...

in 2000,

Girton College, Cambridge Girton College is one of the 31 constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge. The college was established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon as the first women's college in Cambridge. In 1948, it was granted full college status ...

in 2001 and

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

in 2008. He began his academic career during the 1990s when he taught at

Roma Tre University Roma Tre UniversityUniroma3.it
( it, Università degli Studi Roma Tre) is an Italian LUMSA University in Rome, at the

University of Malta The University of Malta (, UM, formerly UOM) is a higher education institution in Malta. It offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, postgraduate master's degrees and postgraduate doctorates. It is a member of the European University Association ...

, and at the

University of Sassari The University of Sassari ( it, Università degli Studi di Sassari, UniSS) is a university located in Sassari, Italy. It was founded in 1562 and is organized in 13 departments. The University of Sassari earned first place in the rankings for t ...

in Sardinia. Conte is currently professor of

at the

University of Florence The University of Florence (Italian: ''Università degli Studi di Firenze'', UniFI) is an Italian public research university located in Florence, Italy. It comprises 12 schools and has around 50,000 students enrolled. History The first universi ...

and at Rome's LUISS. He sits on the

board of trustees A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

John Cabot University John Cabot University (JCU) is a private American-style university in Rome, Italy. It was founded in 1972 and it offers undergraduate degrees, graduate degrees, and study abroad programs to English-speaking students. The university has more tha ...

in Rome. Conte's claim to have completed studies at New York University has been questioned, with the institution stating that "A person by this name does not show up in any of our records as either a student or faculty member." In 2010 and 2011, Conte served on the board of directors of the

Italian Space Agency The Italian Space Agency ( it, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana; ASI) is a government agency established in 1988 to fund, regulate and coordinate space exploration activities in Italy. The agency cooperates with numerous national and international entit ...

(ASI) and in 2012 he was appointed by the

Bank of Italy The Bank of Italy (Italian: ''Banca d'Italia'', informally referred to as ''Bankitalia''), (), is the central bank of Italy and part of the European System of Central Banks. It is located in Palazzo Koch, via Nazionale, Rome. The bank's curre ...

as a member of the "Banking and Financial

Arbitrage In economics and finance, arbitrage (, ) is the practice of taking advantage of a difference in prices in two or more markets; striking a combination of matching deals to capitalise on the difference, the profit being the difference between the ...

" commission. He served also in scientific committee of the Italian Foundation of

Notaries A notary is a person authorised to perform acts in legal affairs, in particular witnessing signatures on documents. The form that the notarial profession takes varies with local legal systems. A notary, while a legal professional, is disti ...

. On 18 September 2013, he was elected by the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...

as a member of the Bureau of Administrative Justice, the self-governing body of administrative magistrates, on which he also served as vice president.

Prime Minister of Italy (2018–2021)

2018 government formation

In February 2018, Conte was suggested by

Luigi Di Maio Luigi Di Maio (; born 6 July 1986) is an Italian former stadium beverage vendor and politician. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2019 to 2022, as Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and Minister of Economic Development, Labour and Soci ...

, leader of the

Five Star Movement The Five Star Movement ( it, Movimento 5 Stelle , M5S) is a political party in Italy. Its leader and president is Giuseppe Conte, Prime Minister of Italy from 2018 until 2021. The M5S was founded on 4 October 2009 by Beppe Grillo, a comedian an ...

(M5S), as a possible Minister of the Public Administration in his potential cabinet following the

; the election resulted in a

hung parliament A hung parliament is a term used in legislatures primarily under the Westminster system to describe a situation in which no single political party or pre-existing coalition (also known as an alliance or bloc) has an absolute majority of legisl ...

, as M5S became the party with the largest number of votes and of parliamentary seats, while the

centre-right coalition The centre-right coalition ( it, coalizione di centro-destra) is an alliance of political parties in Italy, active—under several forms and names—since 1994, when Silvio Berlusconi entered politics and formed his Forza Italia party. Despite ...

, led by

Matteo Salvini Matteo Salvini (; born 9 March 1973) is an Italian politician who has served as Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and Italian Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport since 2022. He has been List of Federal ...

and other right-wing parties, emerged with a plurality of seats, receiving more votes together but without an absolute majority, in the Chamber of Deputies and in the Senate. The

centre-left coalition The centre-left coalition ( it, coalizione di centro-sinistra) is an political alliance, alliance of list of political parties in Italy, political parties in Italy active, under several forms and names, since 1995 when The Olive Tree (Italy), Th ...

led by former Prime Minister

came in third. On 9 May, following weeks of political deadlock and the failure of various attempts of forming cabinets both between M5S and the centre-right and the

(PD), Di Maio and Salvini responded to President

's ultimatum to put together a neutral technocratic caretaker-led government by officially requesting that he give them 24 more hours to achieve a governing agreement between their two parties. In the evening of that same day,

publicly announced that

Forza Italia Forza ItaliaThe name is not usually translated into English: ''forza'' is the second-person singular imperative of ''forzare'', in this case translating to "to compel" or "to press", and so means something like "Forward, Italy", "Come on, Ital ...

would not support a M5S–League government on a vote of confidence, but he would still back the centre-right alliance, thus opening the doors to a possible majority government between the two parties. On 13 May, M5S and the League reached an agreement in principle on a government programme, possibly clearing the way for the formation of a governing coalition between the two parties but could not reach agreement on the members of a governing cabinet, most importantly the Prime Minister. M5S and League leaders met with President

on 14 May to shape a new government. At their meeting with President Mattarella, both parties asked for an additional week of negotiations to agree a detailed government programme and a Prime Minister to lead their joint government. Both M5S and the League announced their intention to ask their respective members to vote on the government agreement by the weekend. On 21 May, Conte was proposed by Di Maio and Salvini for the role of Prime Minister in the 2018 Italian government, despite reports in the Italian press suggesting that President Mattarella still had significant reservations about the direction of the new government. On 23 May, Conte was invited to the

Quirinal Palace The Quirinal Palace ( it, Palazzo del Quirinale ) is a historic building in Rome, Italy, one of the three current official residences of the president of the Italian Republic, together with Villa Rosebery in Naples and the Tenuta di Castelporzian ...

to receive the presidential mandate to form a new cabinet. In the traditional statement after the appointment, Conte said that he would be the "defense lawyer of the Italian people". On 27 May, Conte resigned his office because of disagreements between Salvini and President Mattarella. Salvini proposed the university professor

Paolo Savona Paolo Savona (born 6 October 1936) is an Italian economist, professor,CV Paolo Savona
, ...

as Minister of Economy and Finances, but Mattarella strongly opposed him, considering Savona too

Eurosceptic Euroscepticism, also spelled as Euroskepticism or EU-scepticism, is a political position involving criticism of the European Union (EU) and European integration. It ranges from those who oppose some EU institutions and policies, and seek reform ...

and anti-German. In his speech after Conte's resignation, Mattarella declared that the two parties wanted to bring Italy out of the

Eurozone The euro area, commonly called eurozone (EZ), is a currency union of 19 member states of the European Union (EU) that have adopted the euro (€) as their primary currency and sole legal tender, and have thus fully implemented EMU policies ...

and, as the guarantor of the Italian Constitution and the country's interest and stability, he could not allow this. On the following day, Mattarella gave

Carlo Cottarelli Carlo Cottarelli (; born 18 August 1954) is an Italian economist and former director of the International Monetary Fund. On 28 May 2018 he was designated Prime Minister of Italy by President Sergio Mattarella, to lead a caretaker government that w ...

, a former director of the

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster globa ...

, the task of forming a new government. On 28 May, the

(PD) announced that it would abstain from a vote of confidence in Cottarelli, while the M5S and the center-right parties

(FI),

Brothers of Italy Brothers of Italy ( it, Fratelli d'Italia, FdI) is a national-conservative and right-wing populist political party in Italy. It is led by Giorgia Meloni, the incumbent Prime Minister of Italy and the first woman to serve in the position. Accor ...

(FdI) and the League, said they would vote against him. Cottarelli was expected to submit his list of ministers for approval to President Mattarella on 29 May. On that and the following day, he held only informal consultations with the President, waiting for the formation of a "political government". Meanwhile, Salvini and Di Maio announced their willingness to restart the negotiations to form a political government and

Giorgia Meloni Giorgia Meloni (; born 15 January 1977) is an Italian politician who has been serving as the Prime Minister of Italy since 22 October 2022, the first woman to hold this position. A member of the Chamber of Deputies since 2006, she has led the ...

, leader of FdI, gave her support to this initiative. On 31 May, M5S and the League declared they had reached an agreement to form a new government without Savona as Finance Minister (he would become Minister of European Affairs) and with Conte at its head.

First Conte Cabinet

On 1 June 2018, Conte officially succeeded the Democrat

Paolo Gentiloni Paolo Gentiloni Silveri (; born 22 November 1954) is an Italian politician who has served as European Commissioner for Economy in the von der Leyen Commission since 1 December 2019. He previously served as prime minister of Italy from December ...

as the head of the Italian government and was sworn in as the new prime minister. His cabinet was predominantly composed of members of the M5S and the League, but also of prominent independent technocrats like the

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

Enzo Moavero Milanesi Enzo Moavero Milanesi (born 17 August 1954) is an Italian independent politician and law professor who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the first Cabinet of Giuseppe Conte from 1 June 2018 to 5 September 2019. He was also the Chairman- ...

, who previously served as the Minister of European Affairs in the government of

, the university professor

Giovanni Tria Giovanni Tria (born 28 September 1948) is an Italian economist and university professor who served as the Italian Minister of Economy and Finance in the Conte I Cabinet. He is the current Adviser of the Ministry of Economic Development (MED) si ...

as the minister of economy and finances and economist

Paolo Savona Paolo Savona (born 6 October 1936) is an Italian economist, professor,CV Paolo Savona
, ...

, who served in the cabinet of

in the 1990s and is currently known for his

views, who became the new Minister of European Affairs. Party leaders Salvini and Di Maio were both appointed

Deputy Prime Ministers A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president ...

. While Salvini became

Minister of the Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

, with the main aim of drastically reducing the number of illegal immigrants, Di Maio served as Minister of Economic Development, Labour and Social Policies responsible for introducing the

universal basic income Universal basic income (UBI) is a social welfare proposal in which all citizens of a given population regularly receive an unconditional transfer payment, that is, without a means test or need to work. It would be received independently of a ...

. The coalition of the two populist parties which Conte led was also known as the

Government of Change The first Conte government was the 65th government of the Italian Republic. It was led by Giuseppe Conte, an independent, and it was in office from 1 June 2018 to 5 September 2019. The cabinet was formed by a coalition between the Five Star Mov ...

, because of a document that summarized the electoral programmes of the two parties, which was called "Contract for the Government of Change". Giuseppe Conte @ the EP (33199171148)

During his speech before the investiture vote in the

Italian Senate The Senate of the Republic ( it, Senato della Repubblica), or simply the Senate ( it, Senato), is the upper house of the bicameral Italian Parliament (the other being the Chamber of Deputies). The two houses together form a perfect bicameral sy ...

on 5 June, Conte stressed his wish to reduce

and increase the pressure on human traffickers and smugglers. He also advocated a fight against political corruption, the introduction of a law which regulates the

conflict of interest A conflict of interest (COI) is a situation in which a person or organization is involved in multiple interests, financial or otherwise, and serving one interest could involve working against another. Typically, this relates to situations i ...

s, a new bill which expands the

right of self-defense The right of self-defense (also called, when it applies to the defense of another, alter ego defense, defense of others, defense of a third person) is the right for people to use reasonable or defensive force, for the purpose of defending one' ...

, a reduction in taxes and a drastic cut in money going to elected politicians and government bureaucrats. Conte also proposed to lift the

international sanctions International sanctions are political and economic decisions that are part of diplomatic efforts by countries, multilateral or regional organizations against states or organizations either to protect national security interests, or to protect in ...

against Russia. The Senate backed the

confidence vote A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...

in the Chamber of Deputies, voting 171 in favor and 117 against, with 25 abstentions. The cabinet was supported by M5S, Lega, two senators from

Associative Movement Italians Abroad The Associative Movement of Italians Abroad ( it, Movimento Associativo Italiani all'Estero, MAIE) is an Italian political party representing Italians abroad. Based in Argentina and active mainly in South America, the MAIE is a centrist party. Hi ...

(MAIE) and two independents while the

(PD),

(FI), Free and Equal (LeU) and other small leftist parties voted against it. The far-right

(FdI) and another ten independent senators abstained. On the following day, he received 350 votes in favor out of 630 in the

, 236 votes against and 35 abstained. As in the Senate, in the Chamber of Deputies PD, FI and LeU voted against the government, while FdI abstained. Besides M5S and League, Conte received two votes from independent deputies and one vote from

Vittorio Sgarbi Vittorio Umberto Antonio Maria Sgarbi (born 8 May 1952 in Ferrara) is an Italian art critic, art historian, writer, politician, cultural commentator and television personality. He is President of the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Trent ...

, a notable and controversial member of Forza Italia who has always heavily criticised M5S, but decided to support the cabinet in support of Salvini, and with the hope that a M5S government could lead to the party's failure. On 5 February 2019, Conte became acting Minister of European Affairs after the resignation of

Paolo Savona Paolo Savona (born 6 October 1936) is an Italian economist, professor,CV Paolo Savona
, ...

, who was elected President of the Companies and Exchange Commission (CONSOB). He held the ''ad interim'' office until 10 July 2019, when he appointed

Lorenzo Fontana Lorenzo Fontana (born 10 April 1980) is an Italian politician and member of the League (Lega), who is serving as President of the Chamber of Deputies since 14 October 2022. Fontana served as Minister of European Affairs in the Conte I Cabinet. ...

as the new minister.

Resignation and reappointment

Sergio Mattarella and Giuseppe Conte 2019

In August 2019, after growing tensions within the majority, Deputy Prime Minister Salvini entered a motion of no confidence against Conte. Many political analysts believe the no confidence motion was an attempt to force early elections to improve the Lega's standing in Parliament, to enable Salvini to become the next Prime Minister. On 20 August, following a parliamentary debate in the Senate, in which Conte accused Salvini of being a political opportunist who "had triggered the political crisis only to serve his personal interest", he said: "this government ends here". The Prime Minister resigned his post to President Mattarella. Subsequently, during a round of consultations between Mattarella and the parliamentary groupings, a possible new majority emerged between the Five Star Movement and the

. On 28 August, at the

, the PD leader

Nicola Zingaretti Nicola Zingaretti (; born 11 October 1965) is an Italian politician who served as President of Lazio and was Secretary of the Democratic Party from March 2019 until March 2021. During the 1990s, he was a prominent European youth leader, servi ...

announced his support for keeping Giuseppe Conte as the head of the new government. Mattarella then summoned Conte to the Quirinal Palace on 29 August to ask him to form a new cabinet. On 4 September, Conte announced the ministers of his new cabinet, which was sworn in at the Quirinal Palace the following day. On 9 September 2019, the Chamber of Deputies expressed its confidence in the new government with 343 votes in favor, 263 against and 3 abstentions. On 10 September 2019, in the second vote of confidence in the Senate, 169 voted in favour of the Conte government and 133 against. On 16 September, a few days from the investiture vote, in an interview with ''

'', former Prime Minister

announced his intention to leave the PD, launching a new centrist and liberal party named

(IV). In the interview he confirmed also the support to Conte's government. Two ministers and one undersecretary followed Renzi to his new movement. In December 2019, the Minister of Education, Universities and Research

Lorenzo Fioramonti Lorenzo Fioramonti (born 29 April 1977, in Rome) is a political scientist and Former Minister of Education, University and Research of the Italian RepublicFioramontiis a professor at the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences of the Universit ...

resigned after disagreements with the rest of the cabinet over the recently approved 2020 budget bill. Fioramonti considered the share of funds dedicated to education and research to be insufficient. Conte took the ministerial role ''ad interim'', and announced his decision to split the Ministry of Education, University and Research into two: a Ministry of Public Education led by former undersecretary Lucia Azzolina (M5S), and a Ministry of University and Research led by the dean of the

University of Naples Federico II The University of Naples Federico II ( it, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II) is a public university in Naples, Italy. Founded in 1224, it is the oldest public non-sectarian university in the world, and is now organized into 26 depar ...

Gaetano Manfredi Gaetano Manfredi (Ottaviano, 4 January 1964) is an Italian university professor and politician. He has been mayor of Naples since 2021, and has served as the Minister of University and Research in the second government of Giuseppe Conte from 2 ...

(Independent), who were sworn in on 10 January.

2021 government crisis and resignation

Between December 2020 and January 2021, discussions arose within the government coalition between Conte and

, former Prime Minister and leader of Italia Viva. Renzi called for radical changes to the government's economic recovery plans after the COVID-19 pandemic, and also demanded that Conte cede his mandate over the secret services coordination task. During his end-of-year press conference, Conte declined Renzi's requests, asserting that he still had a majority in the Parliament. Conte Mattarella 2020

During a press conference on 13 January, Renzi announced the resignation of IV's two ministers, effectively triggering the collapse of Conte's government. Conte was soon backed by many members of his cabinet, like

Dario Franceschini Dario Franceschini (; born 19 October 1958) is an Italian lawyer, writer, and politician, member of the Democratic Party (PD), of which he briefly became leader in 2009. Franceschini served as Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities and To ...

Roberto Speranza Roberto Speranza (born 4 January 1979) is an Italian politician of the Chamber of Deputies who served as national secretary of Article One. From 5 September 2019 until 22 October 2022, he has been serving as Minister of Health in the governmen ...

, Stefano Patuanelli,

Alfonso Bonafede Alfonso Bonafede (born 2 July 1976) is an Italian lawyer and politician who has served as the Italian Minister of Justice since 1 June 2018. A lawyer by profession, Bonafede has also served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies from 15 March 201 ...

, Vincenzo Spadafora and Riccardo Fraccaro. On the following day, Conte took the ''ad interim'' roles of

Minister of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...

and Minister for Family. On 18 January 2021, the government won the vote of confidence in the Chamber of Deputies with 321 votes in favour, 259 against and 27 abstentions. On the following day, Conte won a vote of confidence in the Senate too, with 156 votes in favor, 140 against and 16 abstentions; however, despite being externally supported by two dissident members of

and three senators for life, the government was not able to reach an

in the upper house. On 26 January, after a few days of inconclusive negotiations with centrist and independent senators, Conte resigned as Prime Minister. In a statement posted on his Facebook page, he stated: "We have been going through a phase of real emergency. The widespread suffering of citizens, deep social unrest and economic difficulties require a clear perspective and a government that has a wider and more secure majority." The Prime Minister also demanded the formation of a

national salvation government The National Salvation Government ( ar, حكومة الإنقاذ الوطني) was a government body formed by politicians from the General National Congress's blocs that lost the June 2014 elections in Libya. The NSG was led by Khalifa al-G ...

. At the end of the consultations, President Mattarella gave the President of the Chamber

Roberto Fico Roberto Fico (; born 10 October 1974) is an Italian politician. He is a member of the Five Star Movement, and has been serving as President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies from 2018 to 2022. Previously, he was the Chairman of the RAI Supervis ...

the task of verifying the possibility of a new government with the same majority of the previous one, composed by M5S, PD, IV and LeU. However, on 2 February, Italia Viva broke away from the majority due to disagreements on both platform and cabinet members, leading Fico to head back to Mattarella with a negative outcome. Following the unsuccessful government formation, Mattarella gave

, former president of the

European Central Bank The European Central Bank (ECB) is the prime component of the monetary Eurosystem and the European System of Central Banks (ESCB) as well as one of seven institutions of the European Union. It is one of the world's Big Four (banking)#Intern ...

, the task of forming a new cabinet. On the following day, Conte met Draghi. On 4 February, during a brief declaration in front of

Chigi Palace The Chigi Palace ( it, Palazzo Chigi ) is a palace and former noble residence in Rome which is the seat of the Council of Ministers and the official residence of the Prime Minister of Italy. Since 22 October 2022, the tenant of the Chigi Palace h ...

, Conte officially endorsed Draghi, asking M5S, PD and LeU to support the former ECB President and join his government. Conte also presented himself as a possible leader of the M5S–PD–LeU coalition which, according to him, must continue to cooperate, even after the end of his government.

Policies

Economic policies

On economic and fiscal issues, one of the main proposals of his first government was a reform of the Italian tax system, with the introduction of a 15% rate

flat tax A flat tax (short for flat-rate tax) is a tax with a single rate on the taxable amount, after accounting for any deductions or exemptions from the tax base. It is not necessarily a fully proportional tax. Implementations are often progressiv ...

for small entrepreneurs and self-employed with an amount of annual revenues less than €65,000. Though this "flat regime" was a proposal from the right-wing League, it was also confirmed by Conte's second government, which had a centre-left bias. During his first cabinet, Conte's government rolled out what is known as the citizens' income ( it, reddito di cittadinanza), a system of

social welfare provision Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specificall ...

that provides a basic income and assistance in finding a job to help poor people and families. The income was set at a maximum of €780 per month, and in its first year the programme had almost 2.7 million applications. The bill was later confirmed by Conte's second cabinet. In September 2019, at the head of his second government, Conte launched a "Green New Deal", named after the analogous US proposed legislation that aimed to

address climate change Climate change mitigation is action to limit climate change by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases or removing those gases from the atmosphere. The recent rise in global average temperature is mostly caused by emissions from fossil fuels b ...

and

economic inequality There are wide varieties of economic inequality, most notably income inequality measured using the distribution of income (the amount of money people are paid) and wealth inequality measured using the distribution of wealth (the amount of we ...

. In the same period, he praised students who protested against climate change, saying: "The images from the squares during the

Fridays for Future School Strike for Climate ( sv, Skolstrejk för klimatet), also known variously as Fridays for Future (FFF), Youth for Climate, Climate Strike or Youth Strike for Climate, is an international movement of school students who skip Friday ...

are extraordinary, with so many young people participating with such passion. On the part of the government there is the utmost commitment to translate this request for change into concrete solutions. We all have a great responsibility for this." Giuseppe Conte @ the EP (46159375855)

In February 2020, Conte appointed

Mariana Mazzucato Mariana Francesca Mazzucato (born June 16, 1968) is an economist with dual Italian–American citizenship. She is a professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value at University College London and founding director of the UCL Institute ...

as his economic counselor. Mazzucato, a professor at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

, is considered one of the most prominent supporters of state intervensionism. In April 2020, amid the

COVID-19 pandemic in Europe The global COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Europe with its first confirmed case in Bordeaux, France, on 24 January 2020, and subsequently spread widely across the continent. By 17 March 2020, every country in Europe had confirmed a case, and all ...

, Conte became the most vocal supporter of issuing

Eurobonds Eurobond may refer to: * Eurobond (external bond) A eurobond is an international bond that is denominated in a currency not native to the country where it is issued. They are also called external bonds. They are usually categorised according t ...

to assist with the crisis, describing the

European Stability Mechanism The European Stability Mechanism (ESM) is an intergovernmental organization located in Luxembourg City, which operates under public international law for all eurozone member states having ratified a special ESM intergovernmental treaty. It was ...

(ESM) as "completely inadequate". Conte found key allies in France, Spain,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, Ireland,

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

and

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

, which demanded more be done to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic; while Germany, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

and Estonia strongly opposed the eurobonds. Conte, during an interview with German weekly ''Die Zeit'', questioned: "What do we want to do in Europe? Does each member state want to go its own way?", He also added: "If we are a union, now is the time to prove it." On 8 April, he stated "we should loosen the European fiscal rules, otherwise we would have to cancel Europe and everyone will go their own way." On 23 April, the European Council agreed on a ESM without conditionality to sustain direct and indirect healthcare costs and the implementation of the a recovery fund to help with post-COVID reconstruction. On 13 May, the Council of Ministers approved the so-called "Relaunch decree", with a budget of nearly €55 billion. This decree included "emergency income" for lower-income families, self-employed workers and economics aids to businesses. From 13 to 21 June 2020, Prime Minister Conte organized a conference called ''Progettiamo il Rilancio'' (''We Plan the Relaunch''), better known as "estates general", in Villa Doria Pamphili in Rome, with the aim of "forging a coherent and well-funded plan for Italy's economic recovery from the coronavirus crisis". The government invited prominent international politicians including

, David Sassoli and Ursula von der Leyen, economists such as Christine Lagarde, Ignazio Visco, Kristalina Georgieva, Olivier Jean Blanchard, Esther Duflo and Tito Boeri, and top managers like Vittorio Colao. The three main trade unions of the country, CGIL, Italian Confederation of Workers' Trade Unions, CISL and Italian Labour Union, UIL, and the Italian industrial employers' confederation, General Confederation of Italian Industry, Confindustria, also took part in this estates general. The Prime Minister also invited also the opposition leaders; however, on 10 June,

and Antonio Tajani said they would not take part in the conference. From 17 to 21 July, Giuseppe Conte took part in one of the longest European Councils in history. After days of harsh confrontations, especially between Conte and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the European leaders agreed on a new proposal by the President of the Council, Charles Michel, which provided a budget of €750 billion for the European Green Deal#Recovery programme from the novel coronavirus, Recovery Fund, composed of €390 billion in grants and €360 billion in loans. Italy would benefit from nearly €82 billion in grants and €127 billion in loans. Prime Minister Conte described the deal as an "historic day for Italy and Europe".

Immigration

When Conte became Prime Minister in 2018, he acted quickly to deliver on promises to the government's anti-immigration base through strict controls on European migrant crisis, immigration to Italy. Since 2013, Italy had absorbed over 700,000 African migrants arriving by boat from Libya. During his premiership, Conte and his Interior Minister

promoted stricter policies regarding immigration and public security. After Conte's approval on 10 June 2018, Salvini announced the closure of Italian ports to vessels rescuing immigrants in the Mediterranean Sea. On 24 September 2018, the Council of Ministers approved the "Salvini decree", which contained a series of hardline measures that saw the Italian government abolish key forms of protection for migrants and make it easier for them to be deported. The decree also suspend the refugee application process of those who are considered "socially dangerous" or who have been convicted of a crime. The decree was abolished in December 2020. On 23 September 2019, Italy and other four European countries, Germany, France, Malta and Finland, agreed on a draft deal to present to other EU countries on how to manage the migrant crisis and distribute those saved from the Mediterranean. This agreement was considered a victory for Conte and his new interior minister, Luciana Lamorgese. On 8 April 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, coronavirus pandemic, the government closed all Italian ports until 31 July, stating that they cannot ensure the necessary requirements for the classification and definition of "safe place", established by the Hamburg Rules on maritime search and rescue."

Ponte Morandi collapse

On 14 August 2018, during a torrential rainstorm over the city of Genoa, a section of the Ponte Morandi collapsed. Between 30 and 35 cars and three trucks were reported to have fallen from the bridge, with the deaths of 43 people. The day after the collapse, Conte declared a state of emergency for the Liguria region, which would last for a year. After few days, Conte appointed Marco Bucci (politician), Marco Bucci, the elected Mayor of Genoa, mayor of Genoa, as extraordinary commissioner for bridge reconstruction. In addition, the government put pressure on the managers of the Italian highway company, Autostrade of Italy, Autostrade per l’Italia (ASPI), which is part of the Benetton family owned Atlantia (company), Atlantia. The M5S asked the revocation of license to Benetton family and the

of ASPI. Despite bitter controversies, the revocation was not immediately implemented. The last two cable-stayed pillars of the bridge were removed through explosive demolition on 28 June 2019. The complete bridge was scheduled to be removed, along with many damaged residential buildings in the surrounding area. The reconstruction of a replacement bridge, designed by famous Italian architect Renzo Piano, began on 25 June 2019 and was completed on 28 April 2020. On 3 August 2020, the new bridge, named Saint George Bridge, after the patron saint of the Republic of Genoa, was inaugurated by Conte and President Mattarella and opened to motor vehicles after a few days.

Nationalization of the highway company

In July 2020, Paola De Micheli, the Italian Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, announced that the bridge-operation license would be temporarily assigned to previous operators ASPI. This gave rise to harsh criticism both from the right-wing opposition and the M5S. On 13 July, Conte stepped in to halt any possible prorogation of the license to ASPI, commenting that the company's proposal "was totally unacceptable", and he added: "The members of the Benetton family have not yet understood that this government will not sacrifice the good of the public on the altar of their interests." On 15 July, the government and Atlantia reached an agreement which brought about the

of the national highway company ASPI, with the state holding a majority participation through Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, while Atlantia would keep only 10% of the company's stock. In a second phase, a listing is planned, aiming to create a company with a widespread shareholder base.

Constitutional reform

Under Conte's governments, the Italian Parliament approved what is known as the "Riccardo Fraccaro, Fraccaro Reform", from the name of the M5S deputy who was the bill's first signatory. The reform was finally approved by the Parliament, with the fourth and final vote in the Chamber of Deputies on 8 October, with 553 votes in favor and 14 against. In the final vote, the bill was supported both by the majority and the opposition; only the liberal party More Europe (+Eu) and other small groups voted against. The reform called for a cut in the number of MPs, which would shrink from 630 to 400 deputies and from 315 to 200 senators. After the proposal's approval, Conte said: "The reduction in parliamentarians is a reform that will bring a greater efficiency of parliamentary jobs. Now, citizens will be closer to the institutions. It is an historical passing that, together with other projected reform, will be a prelude to greater efficiency of our parliamentary system." The 2020 Italian constitutional referendum, referendum to approve the reform was scheduled on 29 March. However it was postponed to 20–21 September due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, coronavirus pandemic which hit Italy hard. In September, Italians largely 2020 Italian constitutional referendum, approved the reform, with nearly 70% voting in favor.

COVID-19 pandemic

In February 2020, Italy became one of the world's main centres for confirmed cases of COVID-19, a respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus that was first detected in Wuhan. In late January, the government banned all flights from and to China, becoming the first European country to adopt this measure. On 22 February, the Council of Ministers of Italy, Council of Ministers announced a bill to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, quarantining more than 50,000 people from 11 different municipalities in Northern Italy. Prime Minister Conte stated: "In the outbreak areas, entry and exit will not be provided. Suspension of work activities and sport events has already been ordered in those areas." After few days, schools and universities closed in the whole country. On 8 March 2020, Prime Minister Conte extended the quarantine to all of Lombardy and 14 other northern provinces, COVID-19 lockdowns in Italy, putting more than a quarter of the national population under lockdown. On the following day, he announced in a press conference that all measures previously applied only in the so-called "red zones" had been extended to the whole country, putting ''de facto'' 60 million people in lockdown. He later proceeded to officially sign the executive decree. This measure was described as the largest lockdown in human history.To contain coronavirus, Italy will restrict movement across much of its northern region, including the city of Milan
, ''Washington Post'', Chico Harlan and Stefano Pitrelli, 7 March 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020. Ian Art Photography - Italy 100 people queuing at a supermarket during coronavirus outbreak mar-2020

Ian Art Photography - Italy 100 people queuing at a supermarket during coronavirus outbreak mar-2020

The lockdown measures, despite being widely approved by public opinion, were also described as the largest suppression of

s in the history of the republic. Nevertheless, Article 16 of the Italian Constitution, Constitution states that Freedom of movement#Italy, travel restrictions may be established by law for reasons of health or security. On 20 March, the Ministry of Health (Italy), Ministry of Health ordered tighter regulations on free movement. While on the following day, Conte announced further restrictions within the nationwide lockdown, by halting all non-essential production, industries and businesses, following the rise in the number of new cases and deaths in the previous days. On 24 March, in a live-streamed press conference, Conte announced a new decree approved by the Council of Ministers. The decree imposed higher fines for the violation of the restrictive measures, and a regulation of the relationship between government and Parliament during the emergency. It included also the possibility of reducing or suspending public and private transport, and gave the regional governments power to impose additional restrictive regulations in their Regions for a maximum of seven days before being confirmed by national decree. On 1 April, Conte's government extended the period of lockdown until 13 April. On 10 April, Conte made further announcements extending the lockdown until 3 May, allowing some specific businesses, like bookstores and silviculture activities, to reopen under specific safe measures. On the same day, he appointed a task force to relaunch Italy after the crisis; the team was led by Vittorio Colao and composed by a total of nineteen members, chosen among university professors, managers and public administration officers, which notably included

and Enrico Giovannini. On 26 April, the Prime Minister announced the so-called "Phase 2", that would start from 4 May. Movements across regions were still forbidden, while the ones between municipalities and provinces were allowed only for work and health reasons as well as for visit relatives. Moreover, he allowed the re-opening of closed factories, but schools, bars, restaurants and barbers were still closed. On 18 May, the lockdown officially ended and the government allowed the re-openings of bars, restaurants, barbers and gyms. However, travels across regions were still limited. Giuseppe Conte Quirinale 2020

On 28 and 29 July, the Parliament approved the extension of the state of emergency until October 2020, proposed by the government. The state of emergency, which was firstly introduced in January 2020, gave greater powers to the prime minister and the government in facing the crisis. The extension created criticism both from the opposition and the liberal wing of the government. The right-wing leader Giorgia Meloni accused the government of pursuing a "dangerous liberticidal drift", asserting that the emergency was already over. Conte described Meloni's accusations as "dangerous and false", adding that the extension of the emergency was a "legitimate and inevitable measure", which became necessary because "the virus continues to circulate in the country". On 16 August, after an increase in the daily number of new COVID-19 cases, the government closed all the discos and night clubs, and imposed to wear a mask outdoors in some areas considered at risk of crowding. In October 2020, the confirmed cases continued to grow, reaching the daily record since the beginning of the pandemic. On 7 October, the Parliament postponed the end of the state of emergency to 31 January 2021. On 13 October, the Council of Ministers approved a new decree concerning further restrictions for bars and restaurants as well as the mandatory use of protection mask outdoors. On 18 October, Conte announced further restrictions, including limitations to the opening hours of bars and restaurants, as well as a suspension of amateur contact sports, local festivals and conferences. On 25 October, the government introduced new restrictions, imposing the closing of gyms, swimming pools, theatres and cinemas, as well as the closing of bars and restaurants by 6 pm. Mattarella Conte Lamorgese 2020

On 4 November 2020, Prime Minister Conte announced a new lockdown, dividing the country into three zones depending on the severity of the pandemic, corresponding to red, orange and yellow zones. Moreover, a national curfew from 10 pm to 5 am was implemented, as well as compulsory weekend closing for shopping malls, and online education in high schools. Conte described the situation as "particularly critical", asserting that the virus was moving at a "strong and even violent" pace. In red zones, lockdown measures were similar to the ones which were implemented from March to May 2020, such as compulsory closing for shops, restaurants and other activities, online education for schools except for kindergartens, elementary schools and sixth-grade classes, and no movements allowed except for working or necessity reasons. In orange zones, restrictions included compulsory closing of restaurants and online education for high schools only, while movement within the home-town territory was still allowed. In yellow zones, the only restrictions included compulsory closing for restaurant and bar activities at 6 pm, and online education for high schools only. On 2 December, a further movement restriction was implemented by the government to prevent an increase in cases during the Christmas holidays period, forbidding movement between regions from 21 December to 6 January. To prevent people from gathering during Christmas, Saint Stephen's Day and New Year's day, travel between different ''comuni'' was also restricted, and the curfew for New Year's Eve was extended to 7 am. On 18 December, Conte announced that the whole country will be declared "red zone" on Christmas Day and on the other festivities.

Foreign policy

Vladimir Putin with Giuseppe Conte (2018-10-24) 02

Since the beginning of his term as prime minister, Conte's foreign policy has been characterized by a lenient approach to Russia. For example, he pressed for the repeal of international sanctions against Russia, which according to him "damage the Italian economy". He also considered Russia a strategic partner in the War on terror, fight against Islamic terrorism. However, Conte stressed that under his leadership Italy will remain an active member of NATO and a close ally of the United States. During the

in March 2020, after a phone call with Conte, Russian president Vladimir Putin arranged the Russian Armed Forces, Russian army to send military medics, special disinfection vehicles and other medical equipment to Italy, which was the European country hardest hit by coronavirus. During his premiership, Conte built a close relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump. Since the beginning of Conte's government, Trump considered him a key ally during international meetings as well as his "privileged interlocutor" in Europe. On 8 and 9 June, Conte participated in his first 44th G7 summit, G7 summit, hosted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Canada. During the summit, he was the only leader to back President Trump and his proposal to readmit Russia into the G7. However, he later assumed a more pro-European view, shared by the other five leaders, condemning Trump tariffs on steel and aluminium exported by the European Union. On the following day, Conte was thanked for his positions on Russia and his populist stance by President Trump, who invited him to the White House. On 28 June, Conte participated in his first European Council meeting and blocked a joint EU trade and defense statement criticizing Trump's tariff policy. Shinzō Abe and Giuseppe Conte

In June 2018, Trump praised Conte, describing him as a "really great leader" and "very strong on immigration". Trump also endorsed Conte during the 2019 Italian government crisis, 2019 government crisis, hoping that he could remain Prime Minister. In 2019, Conte authorized the US Attorney General, William Barr, to discuss with the Italian intelligence services about a possible plot against President Trump amid the investigations on the Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, Russian interferences in the 2016 United States presidential election, 2016 presidential election. This event arose criticism, especially within his own majority coalition, with the Democratic Party and Italia Viva, which asked the Prime Minister to clarify it. Conte stated that the meeting with Barr was "legal and fair", adding that he had never talked about this matter with President Trump. On 31 March 2020, President Trump announced that the United States would send 100 million dollars of medical aids to Italy, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic which was affecting the country. After few days, during an interview at the NBC, Conte described Trump as "Italy's most true and loyal friend". On 11 April, Trump issued an executive order in which he allowed U.S. militaries deployed in Italy to assist Italian law enforcement in facing the crisis. His close relation with Trump generated some tensions and journalistic speculations after Trump's defeat to Joe Biden in the 2020 United States presidential election, November 2020 presidential election. Conte was the last leader of a G7 member to congratulate Biden for his victory; moreover, he was the last leader among the European G7 members to be phone called by the new President-elect. During the call, the two leaders expressed their will to cooperate in major global challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change. During his cabinet, Conte built a friendly relation with the Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez. The two leaders organized several bilateral meetings and often shared the same positions during European Council meetings especially on economics, immigration policies and climate change. Moreover, Conte and Sánchez advocated for anti-austerity measures and for an increase in the Budget of the European Union, European Union's budget. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they were among the main proponents of

. In November 2020, commenting on the relation with his Spanish counterpart, Conte stated: "With my friend Sánchez, we have reaffirmed the alliance between our countries, as well as a common view on the main European and international issues. Together we are a power." At the beginning of his political career, Conte was described as a populist and

politician, openly critical towards the European Union, whose economic and financial rules were described as "old and outdated"; however, he later toned down his Eurosceptic rhetoric, whilst still remaining a vocal anti-austerity leader, as it became evidence during the COVID-19 pandemic, which severely affected Europe. In March 2019, Conte and the Chinese President Xi Jinping 2019 Xi Jinping Italy and France visit, signed in Rome 29 economic and institutional agreements amounting to 2.5 billion euros, including a memorandum of understanding on the Belt and Road Initiative investments program. Prime Minister Conte's position on the Chinese investments programme was criticized by the other major Western powers. In August 2019, amid a serious 2019 Italian government crisis, government crisis, Conte took part, as caretaker prime minister, in the 45th G7 summit in Biarritz, in what it was believed to be his last summit as head of government. The main topics of the summit included global trade, climate change, taxing technology companies, but also Iran nuclear deal, and 2019 Amazon wildfires. Boris Johnson and Giuseppe Conte at the launch of COP26

Boris Johnson and Giuseppe Conte at the launch of COP26

Conte criticized the 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria. He stated that the offensive "puts the region's civilians and stability in jeopardy". In January 2020, the situation of the Libyan Civil War (2014–present), Libyan Civil War became increasingly worrying, with the troops of field marshal Khalifa Haftar approaching Tripoli, Libya, Tripoli. During the crisis, Prime Minister Conte had a series of bilateral meetings in Rome both with Haftar and Fayez al-Sarraj, the chairman of the Presidential Council (Libya), Presidential Council of Libya, who are considered two of the main contenders in the civil war. After pressures from the international community, on 12 January Haftar announced a ceasefire. In November 2018, Silvia Romano, a 23-year-old Italian aid worker, was kidnapped in Kenya by a group of terrorists linked to Al-Shabaab (militant group), Al-Shabaab. On 9 May 2020, Conte announced her liberation in a tweet. Immediately after the announcement, speculations rose about the ransom paid to the kidnappers, which according to some sources stood at around €4 million. Moreover, Romano became the target of a hate campaign by the right-wing opposition due to her conversion to Islam, occurred during the captivity. During a discussion in the Chamber of Deputies, Alessandro Pagano, a member of the

, called her a "neo-terrorist". On 1 September 2020, two Italian fishing boats were detained by the Libyan Coast Guard, along with their crews of eighteen members total, while allegedly fishing in Libya's territorial waters in the Southern Mediterranean. Prime Minister Conte asked for the immediately release, but the Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar denied it, demanding a prisoner exchange. On 17 December 2020, Conte announced that the eighteen fishermen were freed. In November 2020, an investigation conducted by Italian magistrates on the murder of Giulio Regeni, an Italian graduate student who was tortured to death in Egypt in 2016, resulted in the conviction of five agents of the Egyptian National Security Agency (Egypt), National Security Agency. On 21 November, Conte gave a two-weeks ultimatum to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to cooperate with Italian authorities, stating: "We need answers on Regeni's murder. The time is over." The Prime Minister also threatened to withdraw the ambassador if the Egyptian government will not cooperate. On 11 December, the Italian magistrates officially denounced four Egyptian officers.

After the premiership (2021–present)

President of the Five Star Movement

On 28 February 2021, after a few days from the end of his premiership, Conte joined the

(M5S). In later February, the founder and so-called Guarantor of the M5S, Beppe Grillo, gave Conte the task of writing a new party statute and announced that Conte would become the new political leader. In the following months, however, tensions grew between the two politicians. In June, Grillo accused Conte of aiming at creating a one-man party and of being "without a political vision". The former Prime Minister threatened to found his own political movement, stating that Grillo "can not stop this useful political project". In July 2021, Conte and Grillo found a compromise on the new statute and 2021 Five Star Movement leadership election, leadership elections were called on 5 August. On 4 August, party members largely approved the new statute with 87.6% of votes. On the following day, Conte easily won the election with 92.8% of votes, becoming the party's new president. In 2022, tensions grew within the M5S between Conte and

; the two main representatives of the movement clashed many times regarding the policies promoted by the government as well as in the run-up of the 2022 Italian presidential election, 2022 presidential election, during which Conte briefly supported, along with Salvini, the candidacy of Elisabetta Belloni, opposed by Di Maio. In June 2022, Conte became particularly critical of the government's approach to the war in Ukraine and the deployment of military aids to Kyiv's government, on the other hand, Di Maio strongly defended it. Di Maio also labeled the new party's leadership as "immature", while Conte and his closer allies threatened to expel Di Maio from the movement. On 21 June, Di Maio, along with several deputies and senators, exited from the M5S, founding their own political group, known as Together for the Future. On 13 July 2022, Conte announced that the M5S would revoke its support to the Draghi Cabinet, national unity government of

regarding the so-called ''decreto aiuti'', a decree on economic stimulus to contrast the ongoing energy crisis, opening a 2022 Italian government crisis, political crisis within the majority. On the following day, the M5S abstained, not voting the

to the government, and Draghi, despite having largely won the vote, officially resigned as prime minister; however, the resignation was rejected by president

. On 21 July, Draghi resigned again after a new confidence vote in the Senate failed to pass with an absolute majority, following the defections of M5S, Lega, and Forza Italia; President Mattarella accepted Draghi's resignation and asked Draghi to remain in place to handle current affairs. A snap election was called for 25 September 2022. In the election, Conte's M5S run alone and gained 15.4% of votes, being the third most-voted party. However, it was able to elect only 52 deputies and 28 senators. Conte was elected to the

for the multi-member constituency of Lombardy 1 (Chamber of Deputies constituency), Lombardy 1.

Political views and public image

Conte has been described by journalists and political analysts as a populist politician. His leadership style has been considered one of the most prominent examples of the so-called techno-populism. During his first cabinet, Conte has often been labeled as a neo-nationalist leader; since September 2019, when he became the head of a centre-left coalition government, he slightly toned down his nationalist rhetoric, while he continued to use various instances of the so-called banal nationalism. Despite being labeled as a post-ideological leader, who governed both with the political right and the political left, Conte described his political ideal as "new humanism". In September 2019, he described himself as a leftist within the Christian-democratic tradition. During an interview in 2018, Conte said he used to vote for the

(The Olive Tree (Italy), The Olive Tree) and once for a centrist party but never for Forza Italia or National Alliance (Italy), National Alliance, and then the

until 2013, when he began approaching the M5S. He also added that "the ideological schemes of the 20th century are no longer adequate to represent the current political system" and it should be "more important and correct to evaluate the work of a political force on how it is positioned on the respect of fundamental rights and freedoms". In his inaugural speech at the Senate of the Republic (Italy), Senate of the Republic on 5 June 2018, in response to attacks on government political forces accused of being populist and anti-establishment, Conte replied that "if populism is the attitude of the ruling class to listen to the people's needs ... and if anti-establishment means aiming at introducing a new system able to remove old privileges and encrusted power, well, these political forces deserve both these epithets". Conte opposed the "hypertrophy of Italian laws", advocating the repeal of useless laws and supported a simplification of bureaucracy. As a professor, he strongly opposed the school reform legislation promoted by

's government in 2015, known as "The Good School", which, according to him, must be completely revised. Contrasts with Renzi became evident during Conte's second government. Despite the cabinet being supported by Renzi's

, among others, the former Prime Minister has often accused Conte of being a populist politician, threatening to withdraw his party's support. According to public opinion surveys, Conte's approval rating was always above 50% during all his first cabinet, then it dropped to 40% in the early months of his second government. In March 2020, amid the COVID-19 crisis, his approval rating rose above 70%, one of the highest ever ratings for an Italian prime minister. In January 2021, 56% of Italians wanted Conte to remain as Prime Minister. According to Ipsos, Conte's approval rating at the end of his second government in February 2021 was still around 65%. Moreover, with more than 3.7 million followers, Conte is one of the most followed European leaders on Facebook.

Personal life

Conte married Valentina Fico, a lawyer from Rome and daughter of a former director of the Santa Cecilia Music school, conservatory, with whom he has a child, Niccolò, born in 2007; however, they divorced after a few years. By 2018, Conte was engaged with Olivia Paladino, daughter of the Roman entrepreneur Cesare Paladino and the Swedish actress Ewa Aulin. Conte is an avid supporter of A.S. Roma, a passion that arose when he studied in Rome at the Sapienza University. He is a Roman Catholic and a follower of Padre Pio of Pietrelcina. In addition to his native Italian, Conte also speaks English.

Controversies

On 21 May 2018, when Conte was proposed to President Mattarella as candidate for prime minister, ''

'' questioned his summer stays at

(NYU) listed in his official curriculum vitae in an article asserting that a NYU spokeswoman could not find Conte in university "records as either a student or faculty member". Similar doubts arose concerning his study period in France at the

. The following day, the Associated Press reported in an article published also by ''The New York Times'' that the NYU spokeswoman added that "while Mr. Conte had no official status at NYU, he was granted permission to conduct research in the NYU Law library" during the period listed in his official curriculum vitae. Similarly, the

of Pittsburgh and the

found no record of him in their archives, although it was confirmed that Conte held lectures at the old university building in Valletta, Malta, for the Foundation for International Studies. Yale University, contacted by another newspaper, confirmed that he was a visiting scholar there for three months. Moreover, Conte stated in his CV that he had worked for his legal studies at the Kulturinstitut in Vienna, Austria, but this is a language school, not a law school. In June 2020, then Prime Minister Conte approved the sale of two military ships to Egypt. This move was heavily criticised both by opposition and government allies, due to the ongoing tensions between Italy and Egypt, following the murder of Giulio Regeni, an Italian PhD student tortured to death in 2016.Armi all'Egitto, via libera di Conte alla vendita delle due navi Fremm
la Repubblica

Electoral history

Authored books

* * * * * * * * *

References

External links

*University of Florenc
personal page
(including CV and publication list in English) * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Conte, Giuseppe Giuseppe Conte, 1964 births Living people People from the Province of Foggia Prime Ministers of Italy Italian jurists Italian Roman Catholics Independent politicians in Italy Conte I Cabinet Conte II Cabinet Universal basic income activists Roman Catholic activists Five Star Movement politicians Sapienza University of Rome alumni Yale Law School alumni Academic staff of Roma Tre University Academic staff of the University of Florence Academic staff of the University of Malta Academic staff of the University of Sassari Academic staff of the Libera Università Maria SS. Assunta

Early life and career

Prime Minister of Italy (2018–2021)

2018 government formation

First Conte Cabinet

Resignation and reappointment

2021 government crisis and resignation

Policies

Economic policies

Immigration

Ponte Morandi collapse

Nationalization of the highway company

Constitutional reform

COVID-19 pandemic

Foreign policy

After the premiership (2021–present)

President of the Five Star Movement

Political views and public image

Personal life

Controversies

Electoral history

Authored books

See also

References

External links