Mario Borghezio from the Lega party, who’s a member of the European parliament, blamed the French, German and other European governments for pressing the Italian president and interfering in the inner affairs of Italy. According to the politician, they announced that Italy couldn’t have the government, whose members didn’t sit well with Europe, even before the program was presented.
“President Macron made a statement, had a number of meetings, and which, I think, didn’t help to form the new government. The German political leadership sharply criticized the situation, so did two or three European Commissioners, including [Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs Pierre] Moscovici,” Borghezio told Sputnik.
The Italian politician stressed, “This interference is unacceptable, as the Italian president stated explaining his decision. He pointed at the European political institutions. In this way, even the president admitted that our country has limited sovereignty.”
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According to Borghezio, the president’s rejection of the proposed list of ministers contradicts the spirit of the Italian Constitution, which doesn’t secure his right to hinder the appointment of the minister for political reasons.
Italy has been in political uncertainty after the country’s president, Sergio Mattarella, rejected the proposed cabinet due to the candidacy of Paolo Savona for the post of economy minister. According to the president, Savona's views on the EU’s monetary policy could "threaten Italy's membership of the Eurozone."
Mattarella appointed a former International Monetary Fund official, economist Carlo Cottarelli, as interim prime minister, giving him the mandate to form a new cabinet. Cottarelli stated that he would bring about a new election in Italy as early as this fall if he doesn't win a confidence vote in the parliament.
The political turmoil in Europe’s fourth-largest economy has sent shockwaves throughout the European, US and Asian stock markets as the euro plunged against dollar, while the main indexes sunk amid fears for the future of the eurozone.
