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The official seat of the Italian President in Rome: Giuseppe Conte knows the Quirinal Palace better than he would like
Photo: Matteo Nardone / imago images / Pacific Press Agency
The Palazzo del Quirinale in Rome has a remarkable history.
Popes used it as a summer residence, and later Italy's kings moved in.
The president has resided here since 1946.
A separate cuirassier regiment serves the respective resident as life guard.
On official occasions, soldiers in imaginative uniforms put on a show that can easily rival that of Buckingham Palace.
The Quirinal Palace has more space than the London Palace anyway: with 1200 rooms, it is the largest official residence of a head of state worldwide.
Conte's government has been shaking for weeks
Giuseppe Conte visited this former size icon on Tuesday lunchtime.
The previous Prime Minister now knows the Quirinal Palace better than he would like.
Because his government has been shaky for weeks, he had to consult the concerned President Sergio Mattarella three times in January.
Today, for the second time in his short term in office, he submitted his resignation.
His first cabinet failed after almost 14 months.
Now, after 16 months, his second coalition has finally collapsed.
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Former Prime Minister Conte after his resignation: It was not enough for a "coalition of the willing"
Photo: Roberto Monaldo / dpa
Can the previous prime minister now build his third government?
Was that it, or will Conte III now follow?
Can the law professor, who was brought into office by the 5-star movement in 2018, now build a third government?
First a right-wing alliance with Matteo Salvini, then a center-left coalition with the social democratic PD and now possibly a kind of center coalition: Can this daring change succeed?
As always when a prime minister falls in Italy, the state president takes over the reins.
His leeway is considerable: Mattarella can opt for new elections, he can temporarily appoint a technical expert government.
Or he gives Conte - or another politician - the task of forming a new government.
Such changes of power are actually routine for Italians, after 66 governments in 75 years they are used to almost every maneuver.
For almost every move there is a historical precedent that the newspapers comment on as an incentive or a deterrent.
In Rome it is now also a question of who will succeed President Mattarella
But for Sergio Mattarella, who was elected by the Social Democrats in 2015, it's different this time.
Because it's not just about the next government, it's also about the future of his own office.
In January 2022, a successor to the 79-year-old President will be elected by parliament.
In the six months before that, the so-called »semestre bianco«, he is no longer allowed to dissolve parliament.
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President Mattarella: Consultations with the party and parliamentary group leaders
Photo: Fabio Frustaci / dpa
Because the Quirinal Palace is so important when it comes to questions of power, all actors are thinking about the presidential election next January in these weeks.
If the divided center-left camp (5-Star Movement, Partito Democratico, Italia Viva) gets along again and possibly expands to include center-left MPs, it can determine the next head of state.
If not, right-wing populists Matteo Salvini (Lega) and Giorgia Meloni (Fratelli d'Italia) may come into play after new elections.
Mattarella wants to ensure that Italy remains able to act in the pandemic
The situation is correspondingly sensitive for Mattarella.
The Sicilian, a former minister and constitutional judge, is popular with the people, also because of his personal fate: his brother was murdered by the mafia in 1980;
since he has been widowed for a long time, his daughter often steps in as first lady.
Party politicians regularly speak in awe of the president's "wisdom".
From Wednesday afternoon, Mattarella receives the party and parliamentary group leaders in turn.
Above all, he wants to ensure that Italy remains able to act in the middle of the pandemic and does not gamble away the historic opportunity of the 209 billion EU aid package.
The consultations will therefore be about whether the previous coalition parties can once again find their way out of their current minority position and form a stable majority for the remainder of the legislative period that will actually last until 2023.
Ex-Prime Minister Matteo Renzi triggered the crisis
Giuseppe Conte will nervously follow the conversations in the Quirinal Palace.
His attempt to save his office without resigning has failed for the time being.
In the middle of parliament there is a diffuse group of independent MPs and defectors from the right-wing camp.
So far, not enough of them have publicly declared themselves in favor of Conte.
And initially nobody wanted to talk to ex-prime minister Matteo Renzi (Italia Viva) after he withdrew his ministers from the government and thus triggered the crisis.
After Conte's resignation, Renzi's position has been strengthened as well as that of the independents: You can drive up the price of a possible comeback of the coalition with the president.
And they can present who they want to be prime minister.
It is quite possible that the name Conte will be mentioned.
But it is not certain.
Last week there was talk of a "coalition of the willing," meaning a small government majority made up of a five-star movement, social democrats and independents, but without Renzi.
It wasn't enough for that.
Stars and Social Democrats are now hoping for a government of "national salvation", in other words, the broadest possible alliance in which Renzi would probably also be welcome again.
In this scenario, the independents and right-wing overflows are supposed to ensure that Renzi no longer has any potential for blackmail.
Does Berlusconi want to be the new president?
And what about the Quirinal Palace?
Silvio Berlusconi may play a key role.
The ex-prime minister (Forza Italia) is the opposition partner of Salvini and Meloni, but he is considered a shaky candidate.
Of the many rumors that are passing through Rome these days, one concerns the life planning of Berlusconi, who is currently a member of the European Parliament after several trials and a lengthy house arrest.
The 84-year-old, it is said, would like to become president - and could possibly support the "national rescue" project.
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