The newly elected Italian government will seek votes of confidence from both houses of parliament this week.
News analyst Charlie Sennott joined Boston Public Radio to explain that while the government will probably get the votes, there are other troubles ahead for the populist government, which represents the far-left and far-right parties in Italy.
“Italy is that scary glimpse of when the center doesn’t hold,” he said. “You actually have a coalition of parties that would be the American equivalent of voters for Trump and voters for Bernie Sanders coming together in one movement to say to the establishment exactly how they feel about them.”
The new prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, said in a Facebook post that he is not concerned about getting the votes of confidence.
Analysts caution that while the government is likely to get the necessary votes, there could be conflict later on as the two parties will be forced to reconcile budget and constituent differences.
“It’s a very complex, operatic story that’s unfolding in Italy, but I think where it goes is, if they have another election, it’s going to be a wild ride,” said Sennott.
The government has a financial plan that could lose the country as much as 100 billion euros, which could put it at odds with the European Union. The EU is typically austere.
“If they succeed in pulling this party together, and you’re talking about Italy potentially pulling out of the EU, that could really rock the European economy,” said Sennott.
Charlie Sennott is a WGBH news analyst and the co-founder of The Ground Truth Project.
