ROME – Outgoing Democratic Party ministers, Graziano Delrio and Andrea Orlando, vehemently attacked the League line-up in Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte’s newly formed government as they prepared to be sworn in on Friday, political sources said.

 Riling comments from departing Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Graziano Delrio, which triggered an immediate response from Salvini, after insisting that the League was “linked to European neo-fascism.”

 Salvini reacted on Facebook, quoting Oscar Wilde in a scornful reply to Delrio’s outburst: “It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt,” Salvini said.

 Outgoing Minister of Justice Andrea Orlando also hit out at the coalition, made of from the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and the Eurosceptic, anti-migrant League party, who shall once again be led by an unelected Prime Minister.

 Orlando mocked the paradoxes in the new cabinet that is “much more establishment” than the Democratic Party’s under Paolo Gentiloni.

 Delrio’s attack on Friday followed a message of support from France’s hard-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen, who hailed the formation of Italy’s populist government. Le Pen described the populist party’s surge as “a victory of democracy over the intimidation of the EU” after waves of criticism from European Union representatives.

 In his scathing attack, Delrio condemned Salvini’s irresponsible “cat-and-mouse” administration style – which he believes is driving Italy out of Europe – disparaging the League representatives in Conte’s team of ministers.

 The PD minister also directed his anger at long-serving League member Giancarlo Giorgetti, who swore in as Undersecretary to the Prime Minister, wishing that he would represent “not the new League, but a piece of the old League, which at least knew how to manage the interests Italians.”

“Their voters did not choose them to make a government together, they are building a series of lies and they have already done enormous damage to the Italian economy and to the image of the country,” Delrio said.

 Scalding criticism is nothing new for Conte’s recently formed “government of change,” but he will have to establish positive relationships with Europe, let alone first win the confidence of the Italian Parliament, to avoid the “change for the worse” envisaged by Delrio.

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