ROME – Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte was fighting for his political life Monday with an address to the lower chamber of Parliament that aims to shore up support for his government, which has come under fire from an ally over plans to relaunch the country's pandemic-ravaged economy.
Conte lost his majority with the defection of Cabinet ministers belonging to former Premier Matteo Renzi’s tiny but key Italia Viva (Italy Alive) party.
Renzi has faced harsh criticism for the power play during a pandemic, but with billions of European Union pandemic funds expected to flow into the country, but he has defended the move as necessary to prevent Conte from amassing too much power.