Italian Government Totters as Conte, Renzi Divide Deepens

Italian Government Totters as Conte, Renzi Divide Deepens
Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte announces new rules to curb the spread of COVID-19, in Rome, on Oct. 25, 2020. Roberto Monaldo/LaPresse via AP
|Updated:

ROME—Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte faces a showdown with his coalition partner and former premier Matteo Renzi this week that could bring down his government even as it struggles to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

Long-strained relations between the two men have deteriorated markedly in recent weeks, with Renzi calling for radical changes to plans to reboot the economy while also demanding that Conte cede his control over the secret services.