Italian News Update: The Prime Minister Has a Presidential Mandate to Form a Government

The President of Italy gave a mandate yesterday to the outgoing Prime Minister of the ruling anti-establishment populist party to explore the formation of a new coalition government with the main center-left party, after reaching a deal with them for the premier to head an executive.  The premier will return to the President in a few days with a list of ministers and then seek the required vote of confidence from the Parliament.

The government crisis was caused by the resignation of the Prime Minister, after the announcement by the Trumpist anti-migrant pro-Putin far-right League party, with which the premier’s party was in a coalition government, that it would offer a vote of no confidence in him.

A new government would end the crisis that leads to uncertainty and causes investors to lose confidence in Italian government bonds.  It would avoid a sales tax increase and allow the passage of a budget.  The accord reached between the parties, which are the two with the most parliamentary seats, would increase spending for welfare, infrastructure and for the poorer South, emphasize environmental protection, crack down on tax evasion and complete an anti-corruption platform.  The accord would end the far-right party’s harsh anti-migrant policy, such as blocking ports to the rescue ships of non-government organizations.

The League had tried to capitalize on polls suggesting it had a large plurality of support by bringing down the Government to force either a cabinet reshuffle with a greater share of the ministers of the executive, or new elections, in which it could possibly have gained a majority of seats in the Parliament with an alliance with the center right parties.  Instead, the far right party, which has marginalized the free-market center-right, will be out of power while Italy moves leftward and the center-right will remain in opposition.  

Italian News Update: The Populist Prime Minister Has Resigned

           The Prime Minster of Italy today announced his resignation after a premiership of 15 months, after the far-right anti-migrant Trumpist League party, the junior partner in the government coalition, announced earlier this month that it would offer a no-confidence no motion.  The motion against the anti-establishment populist party-led Government would likely have been blocked by the ruling party and the main center-left party, but the uncertainty had nevertheless triggered a government crisis.

            The Prime Minister blasted the League party leader, who is also Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister, for triggering the crisis for trying to capitalize in a surge in the polls, using the anti-establishment populists’ opposition to the high-speed rail line from Turin to Lyon, France and for greater autonomy for the Regions as pretexts.  He warned the crisis will increase the interest Italy must offer on bonds because of the uncertainty it creates, weaken the Italian Republic in negotiations with the European Union, necessitate reopening the budget and make it more likely that Italy could not avoid an increase in the sales tax.  The Prime Minister criticized the far-right leader for using religious symbols as he cracked down on immigration and for refusing to answer questions in Parliament about the attempt by the Russian Federation to finance his party through secret energy profits.  The League is xenophobic, but supports Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin and aligns itself with other far-right international leaders, whom Putin usually supports. 

           With the collapse of Italy’s first all-populist Government, the President of the Republic, if he accepts the premier’s resignation, will decide whether to give the Prime Minister a second mandate to try to form a new government between the two parties, or allow talks between the ruling anti-establishment party and the center-left to try to overcome their considerable differences to form a government.  Otherwise, there will be early elections in the fall.  The premier would remain as a caretaker in the interim.  

Foreign Digest Updates: Russia and China, Venezuela, Sudan and Italy

Russia and China

            Mass protests continue in the Russian Federation and in Hong Kong, the territory of Communist China.  Russians are demonstrating against the lack of free and fair elections and against corruption.  Citizens of the former British colony of Hong Kong are protesting the encroachment by Peking of the autonomy and freedom of the city-state that China had promised after reversion from the United Kingdom in 1997.  Both Russia and China have violated the freedom of peaceful assembly with mass arrests of protesters and with violence.

Venezuela  

           The Socialist dictatorship ended the talks earlier this month with the democratic opposition that were being mediated by Norway.  The leader of the opposition of the elected national assembly had invoked the constitution to declare himself interim president and has been recognized by dozens of countries, including the United States, several Latin American and Western States.  

Sudan

            The Sudanese military government and the democratic opposition yesterday signed the agreement for a transitional government leading to elections that they had reached earlier this month.

Italy

           The Italian Senate rejected the motion by the ruling far-right anti-migrant pro-Vladimir Putin party of no-confidence in the Prime Minister last week, with the center-left joining the anti-establishment populists who lead the governing coalition.  The two main center-right parties voted for no-confidence.  Therefore, the 15-month government continues.  The Trumpist far-right populist party, which is the junior partner in the Government coalition, had cited disagreement with the anti-establishment populists, but polls have suggested a plurality of support for the far-right, leading to the strategic decision to try to capitalize on the surge in popularity with snap elections.  Either the two ruling parties will have to establish a new executive with a new agreement, or the center-left party and the anti-establishment populists, who had left-of-center positions prior to pairing up with the far-right party, will have to overcome their considerable differences.  The populists oppose the endemic corruption and they have gone along with the xenophobic policies of their coalition partners.

Foreign Digest: United Kingdom and Italy

United Kingdom

            The Conservatives chose a new leader lat last month, Boris Johnson, who subsequently became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.  He leads a coalition government with a minimal majority together with a conservative unionist party in Northern Ireland.  Johnson promises the UK will leave the European Union by the deadline of the end of October, with or without any deal.  The largest sticking point is the indefinite arrangement for the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which remains in the EU, in terms of passports and customs.  An open border between the British province and the free Irish state was an essential component of the 1997 peace deal that ended the Troubles.  The new premier is demanding a renegotiated agreement with the EU, which has stated that it will not modify the deal it has offered, although there may be clarifications.  The deal was thrice rejected by the British Parliament under the previous Prime Minister, although by a much smaller number of votes the last time.  Contingency plans for trade and customs will have to be made by the UK and EU if the British leave without a deal.

Italy

           The junior Italian government coalition party, the League, announced Friday that it plans a no-confidence motion in the lower house of the Parliament against the Prime Minister.  The far-right anti-migrant party claims disagreements with its support for the proposed high-speed rail line from Turin to Lyon, France, on greater regional autonomy and other issues with the anti-establishment populists who have led the Government for 14 months.  However, snap elections, which could be scheduled for October, would be strategically advantageous to the League because it is currently much higher than its coalition partner or any other party in the polls, as was reflected in the European Union elections in May.  Early elections could also precede the results of an investigation of Russian attempts to offer tens of millions of dollars worth of energy resources to the pro-Vladimir Putin party and the latter’s willingness to accept them, which the “nationalist” party’s leader refuses to submit to questions about in Parliament.

Update: Massive Protests for Freedom in Russia and Hong Kong (China)

           There continue to massive protests in the Russian Federation and Hong Kong, the special territory of Communist China, and mass arrests of peaceful protesters by authorities.  Both regimes have been using violence and the threat of violence.

Russians are demonstrating against the lack of free of fair elections and against the corruption of the tyrannical regime of ex-KGB (the Soviet intelligence agency) officer Vladimir Putin. 

Residents of Hong Kong have been taking to the streets against the loss of autonomy for the former British territory, which China promised to respect, along with liberty, when it reverted from the rule by the United Kingdom in 1997.  However, Peking has been increasingly encroaching on Kong Kong’s self-rule. 

The United States has not spoken up for freedom of assembly for Russians and Chinese, under Donald Trump, the pretender to the American presidency, as much as it has had a consistent foreign policy of promoting human rights, as he was elected in part through “sweeping and systemic” Russian interference and he has international conflicts of interests that he refuses to reveal.

Foreign Digest: Russia and China, Mozambique and Sudan

Update, Russia and China: violence against peaceful protesters

            There have continued to be protests in both the Russian Federation and Communist China in favor of freedom, with both governments reacting with violence against peaceful demonstrators. 

Russians have been taking to the streets to protest the lack of free and fair elections after tyrant and kleptocrat Vladimir Putin’s regime barred many candidates from standing for election, and to oppose corruption.  As the ex-KGB officer does not tolerate the freedom to assemble peacefully, force has been used against Russians to break up the protests and there have been massive arrests, including the opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was also poisoned, which happens commonly to regime critics.  Protests have become more frequent in Russia since last year as the opposition has exposed government corruption amidst economic hardship for ordinary Russians as the regime has continued to become increasingly authoritarian.

In the Chinese territory of Hong Kong, residents of the city-state have continued their protests against the violations of their autonomy by Peking, which had promised self-rule and liberty to the former British territory when it reverted to mainland China in 1997.  Communist regime thugs violently attacked protesteors, as police have used force to break up the demonstrations.  The protesters have succeeded in blocking a proposed law that would have allowed extradition to mainland China, which could have been used as a tool against dissidents.

Mozambique: peace accord between the government and rebels

            A peace accord was signed last week between the Marxist government of Mozambique and the rebels who have been fighting intermittently since the Cold War to share political power.

Update, Sudan: agreement for transition to civilian rule

           An agreement was reached late last week between the Sudanese military rulers and the democratic opposition that established the details of the transition from military rule to civilian rule over the next 39 months until democratic elections.  The agreement was necessary after the military overthrew the longtime Islamist tyrant earlier this year.  An earlier deal had collapsed after a violent response by the military against opposition protesters.