Deputy PM in new Italy govt should come from PD's ranks - deputy PD leader

The deputy prime minister of a new Italian government should be a member of the Democratic Party (PD), its deputy leader Andrea Orlando said on Wednesday, potentially re-igniting tensions in talks with the ruling 5-Star Movement. The two parties are negotiating the formation of a new government after the previous coalition between 5-Star and the far-right League party collapsed last week.

The reinstatement of outgoing Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has been a sticking point, insisted on by 5-Star but resisted by the PD. Now the PD is annoyed because it says 5-Star leader Luigi Di Maio wants the job of deputy prime minister despite their opposition. "Di Maio is not a problem. The problem is that if there is a premier from the 5-Star it is fair that his deputy is from the PD," Orlando said on Twitter.

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