Italian president gives Conte mandate to form new government

Italian President Sergio Mattarella has given outgoing Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte a mandate to form a new government comprising the ruling 5-Star Movement and opposition Democratic Party (PD), a presidential official said on Thursday.

Conte resigned last week after the far-right League party withdrew from its coalition with the 5-Star, forcing Mattarella to hold consultations with all Italy's main political parties to try to find a way out of the political chaos.

Both 5-Star and the PD told the president on Wednesday they were willing to lay aside their long-standing animosity and try to form an administration with Conte, an academic considered close to 5-Star, at the helm.