Italy turmoil shows that EU is still vulnerable to populism

Italy has been without a government since elections in March because no political party has been able to form a majority. Two populist parties the Five Star and the League attempted to join forces but had to abandon the effort after Italian President Sergio Matterella vetoed their choice of a euroskeptic finance minister on Sunday.

On Wednesday, it was reported the two parties were trying to "compromise on another name" for the post and soliciting support from the Brothers of Italy, another right-wing party.

However, the move by Matterella suggests that he is trying to prevent his country from following the United Kingdom's lead and exiting the European Union, which would deal an even heavier blow to the European economic bloc than Brexit did, as it is the fourth-largest economy in the EU and the third-largest member of the eurozone.