Italy crisis: Call to impeach President amid government-forming efforts
What's the story
Amid Italy's deepening political crisis, the leader of Italy's biggest political party has called for the impeachment of President Sergio Mattarella after he vetoed a choice for the finance minister.
Luigi Di Maio, the leader of the populist Five Star party, said the President's decision had caused an "institutional crisis" in Italy, which has been without a government since March.
Here's more about it.
Information
The President's impeachment procedure in Italy
Di Maio called for the impeachment of President Mattarella under Article 90 of the Italian Constitution, which allows for the Italian Parliament to demand a President to step down based on a simple majority vote. "Let the Italians have their say," added Di Maio.
Political crisis
What's going on in Italy?
Italy, which had its elections in March, is still without a government because no political group has been able to form a majority.
After an 11-week deadlock, Five Star attempted to form a government in coalition with the right-wing League.
The two parties, however, couldn't agree on a prime ministerial candidate, and thus proposed novice Giuseppe Conte to lead the coalition government.
Still no government
PM-designate Giuseppe Conte has stepped down
After Five Star and League's agreement to field Giuseppe Conte, the PM-designate's efforts to form a government collapsed on Sunday after President Mattarella's decision.
The President approved all members of Conte's proposed cabinet, but vetoed Paolo Savona for the post of finance minister, citing his fierce opposition to Italy's membership in the Eurozone.
Following the decision, Conte stepped down.
President's decision
Why President Mattarella chose to veto Paolo Savona
On Sunday, President Mattarella also warned that the League-Five Star coalition could be disastrous for the nation.
He also defended his decision to veto Savona, saying that Savona's outspoken criticism of the EU and his opposition to austerity programmes would worsen massive national debt - 1.3 times its annual output.
In terms of national debt, Italy is just a notch above junk rating.
What next?
Sources say IMF economist is tipped for PM
Correspondents said that after Giuseppe Conte's resignation, President Mattarella has been engaged in talks with IMF economist Carlo Cottarelli, who is now reportedly tipped to be a stop-gap prime minister.
However, BBC's sources in Rome say that such an arrangement is unlikely to last, and Italy might need to call early elections to get itself out of political stagnation.
PM candidate?
Five Star, League, call Cottarelli's imminent appointment a "premeditated" attack
President Mattarella, who said he would wait before deciding whether to call fresh elections, is slated to meet Cottarelli for talks - which Five Star and League called a "premeditated" strike by European "lobbies" against them.
Cottarelli, aged 64 years, had worked in the IMF from 2008-2013, and had earned himself the nickname "Mr. Scissors" for making cuts to Italy's public spending.