Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte faces two days of parliamentary votes that will decide if his fragile coalition can cling to power or has lost its majority, pushing Italy into deeper political turmoil. Mr Conte will address the lower house on Monday and the Senate on Tuesday about the future of his government after a junior partner, former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, quit the cabinet in a row over his handling of the twin coronavirus and economic crises.
Mr Renzi's move could see the country go to the poll only three years after the last general election, prompting pollsters to favour Lega leader Matteo Salvini as the new Prime Minister in a coalition with right-wing party Brothers of Italy, led by Giorgia Meloni, and Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party.
Mr Salvini's ascent to power would cause "nightmares" to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, according to Alex Christoforou, founder of The Duran.
Speaking to The Duran's editor Alexander Mercouris, Mr Christoforou said: "The EU must be shaking in their boots at the prospect of seeing a Salvini-Forza Italia-Brothers of Italy ruling the country.
"Ursula von der Leyen must be having nightmares at night picturing that coalition."
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Italy news: A Salvini Government would be a 'nightmare' for Von der Leyen (Image: GETTY)
Matteo Salvini could become Italy's PM if there was an election this year (Image: GETTY)
Echoing his words, Mr Mercouris said: "Absolutely, because Salvini, of course, has often spoken in very eurosceptic terms and I assume that is what he is.
"But of course Brothers of Italy are to the right of him and they are much more emphatically eurosceptic than he is.
"He would not be able to govern without their support and they would pull him to the right and into an anti-EU direction.
"So the Salvini government that would emerge out of an election that is held now would be more radical than a Salvini government that would have emerged had elections taken place last year."
Votes will be held in both
