that he had resigned after failing to obtain from the
government billions of euros he said were needed to improve the
country's schools and universities.
The
resignation was a blow to the embattled government, whose ruling
parties are at odds on issues ranging from eurozone reform to migrant
rights.
It
also underscores the problems of the anti-establishment 5-Star
Movement, Fioramonti's party, which is trying to reorganize amid
widespread internal dissatisfaction with its leader, Luigi Di Maio. This
month three 5-Star senators jumped ship to join the right-wing League
in opposition.
Fioramonti told Reuters he had tendered his "irrevocable resignation" to Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in a letter on Monday.
Pledge to quit
Fioramonti
said shortly after the government of 5-Star and the center-left
Democratic Party was formed in September that he would quit unless
education spending was raised by 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) in the
2020 budget.
Few
believed him, even as the budget continued its passage through
parliament and it became clear the government had little intention of
hiking taxes or cutting spending to find the funds he demanded. The
budget was approved on Monday ahead of a December 31 deadline.
"It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that a minister keeps his word," Fioramonti told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday.
Fioramonti said he would still support the government in parliament, where he is a lower-house deputy.
Italy spends 3.6% of gross domestic product on primary to university education, compared with an average of 5% among 32 countries in a report by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development.
Fioramonti,
a former economics professor at South Africa's Pretoria University, has
been one of Italy's most outspoken ministers during his three months in
office. His proposals for new taxes on airline tickets, plastic
and sugary foods to raise funds for education were attacked by critics
who said Italians were already overtaxed.
Green policies
A
vocal supporter of green policies, Fioramonti made headlines when he
announced Italy would next year become the first country to make it
compulsory for schoolchildren to study climate change and sustainable
development.
Earlier this month, he said Italian energy giant ENI should halt oil exploration and focus on renewable energy.
"I
have sometimes felt I could have had more support from my own party
over my proposals on the environment," Fioramonti said. "5-Star was born
10 years ago with a strongly green platform, but it seems to have got
lost along the way."
VOA