Giuseppe Conte quits as Italy’s PM in tactical bid to build new majority

ROME: Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte handed in his resignation to the head of state on Tuesday, hoping he would be given an opportunity to put together a new coalition and rebuild his parliamentary majority.

The deepening political crisis is playing out against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 85,000 Italians — the second highest death toll in Europe after Britain and the sixth highest in the world.