Conte -- a little know lawyer and political novice -- announced his picks for the country's future cabinet after meeting with Mattarella. Paolo Savona, the eurosceptic economist who the populist coalition originally wanted for economy minister but was rejected by Mattarella, is still part of the cabinet as European Affairs minister. The role of economy minister was given to the less controversial Giovanni Tria, a political economy professor who advocates slashing taxes but is in favour of keeping Italy in the euro. Mattarella vetoed the populist coalition's anti-euro choice for economy minister Savona, causing the two populist parties to abandon their joint bid for power. - Populist programme -The programme proposed by the populists promises to revive Italy's sluggish economy by rejecting austerity and increasing spending.

Source: Bangkok Post May 31, 2018 21:45 UTC