Italian government rebounds from upheaval

Italy’s top leaders are holding onto power and squeezing out the far-right politician who attempted to dismantle the government last week. Giuseppe Conte resigned as prime minister Aug. 21 but on Thursday helped forge a partnership between the opposing populist Five Star movement and the center-left Democratic Party.

Are things getting back to normal in Italy? The new governing coalition excludes the far-right League party and its firebrand leader, Interior Minister Matteo Salvini. Salvini withdrew his party from the previous governing coalition last week in hopes of triggering new elections and becoming prime minister. But the new coalition has tapped Conte to serve again. Conte said the new government will welcome “a new humanism,” hinting at a possible deviation from Salvini’s staunch anti-migration stance.

Dig deeper: Read my report from last year on how populist parties rose to the top in Italy.