Giuseppe Conte (born 8 August 1964) was Prime Minister of Italy from 1 June 2018 to 13 February 2021, succeeding Paolo Gentiloni and preceding Mario Draghi. He was supported by the Five Star Movement, and he presided over two governments (initially a M5S coalition with Lega Nord, later an M5S coalition with the Democratic Party of Italy).
Biography[]
Giuseppe Conte was born in Volturara Appula, Apulia, Italy in 1964 to a middle-class family, and he worked as a private law professor, and he served in the Bureau of Administrative Justice after 2013. After the 2018 general election resulted in a hung parliament, Five Star Movement leader Luigi De Maio and Lega Nord leader Matteo Salvini proposed to President Sergio Mattarella that Conte could form a government for them. Conte, who was close to M5S, was given the mandate to form a government on 23 May 2018, presiding over the "Government of Change" coalition. He resigned his position on 27 May after Mattarella refused to confirm some of his cabinet picks, but they agreed on a finance minister on 31 May 2018, leading to Conte deciding to be sworn in as Prime Minister the next day. Conte became the first Prime Minister without political experience since Silvio Berlusconi in 1994 and the first southern Italian prime minister since Ciriaco De Mita in 1989. Conte introduced flat taxes on businesses and individuals with Lega's backing, he announced more severe punishments for tax dodgers, he promoted stricter immigration and public security policies, he closed Italian ports on 10 June 2018, he continued to support Italy's involvement with NATO and its alliance with the United States, and he signed 29 economic deals with China in Rome. However, in August 2019, the government coalition began to fall apart as Lega leader Matteo Salvini and Conte disagreed over building a planned high-speed rail link between Turin and Lyon, and, on 9 August 2019, Salvini presented a vote of no-confidence against Conte. On 20 August, after criticizing Salvini as an opportunist, he resigned as Prime Minister. However, on 28 August, President Mattarella invited Conte to form another government in a coalition with the Democratic Party of Italy. His government's lockdown measures during the COVID-19 pandemic were met with high approval rates. In January 2021, Italia Viva withdrew from the government due to disagreements over the government's economic recovery plans, and, while Conte won several votes of confidence, he failed to form a government and resigned on 26 January 2021. He left office on 13 February 2021, when Mario Draghi formed a national unity government.