Italian PM Conte names 2 new ministers, outlines agenda for 2020

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte named two new ministers for his cabinet on Saturday, December 28. Conte replaced his education minister Lorenzo Fioramonti, who resigned from the cabinet citing lack of funds for his ministry. While appointing the two new ministers, Prime Minister Conte outlined his ambitious agenda of bringing reforms in the justice system and state bureaucracy. Conte divided the education ministry into two.

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Conte's new ministers

Conte named former education minister Lorenzo Fioramonti's junior minister Lucia Azzolina as the new minister for schools. Gaetano Manfredi, the rector of Naples University was named as minister for universities and research. While Gaetano was a non-party technocrat, Lucia is from 5-Star Movement, a party which is Conte's coalition partner in the government. 

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Conte was a non-affiliated technocrat himself, who was named the leader of the coalition government formed by the 5-Star Movement and the League in June 2018. Conte had to resign as Prime Minister after his own coalition partner, the League had moved a no-confidence motion in the house on August 20, 2019. Subsequently, the 5-Star Movement (M5S) and the Democratic party agreed to form a coalition government with Conte remaining in his position. It is to be noted that the M5S is a right-wing party, while the Democratic party is inclined towards left. Conte became the first Italian Prime Minister to lead governments in the same legislature, both with the right-wing and the left-wing. 

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Conte on Saturday said he would meet with the ruling parties in January 2020 to discuss and detail the priorities. He also promised an overhaul of the state bureaucracy and justice department. Conte will soon unveil the new rules that would streamline the justice department and ensure speedy trials. The move, however, is opposed by the Democratic party, which says defendants would face years of legal uncertainty while their trials continue interminably. 

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