Italy's League party files motion of no-confidence in PM

ROME - Italian far-right League party led by anti-immigrant Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has presented to the Senate a motion of no-confidence in Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, local media reported Friday.

The move comes after Salvini, who also serves as deputy prime minister in Italy's rightwing-populist coalition government, said late on Thursday that "the ruling majority no longer exists" and called for snap elections.

In its motion, the League said it was motivated by "strongly differing views between the two majority forces" on "priority issues such as justice system reform, regional autonomy and the next budget," public broadcaster RAI reported.

On Twitter, Salvini wrote that "those would waste time only want to save their seats (in parliament)," in an apparent reference to his governing coalition partner, the populist Five Star Movement.

Five Star leader Luigi Di Maio, who also serves as deputy prime minister and labor and economic development minister, suggested earlier in the week that the administration should agree to push through a parliamentary reform before calling for early elections.

This would have postponed the government crisis to some time in the fall. By filing the no-confidence motion on Friday, Salvini has pre-empted that possibility.

According to Italian news agency ANSA, a vote on a no-confidence motion can take place as early as three days after they are filed. This could mean that if Conte loses the vote, he might step down before the Aug 15 "Ferragosto" national holiday, when parliament is not in session.