ROME—Italy’s president is expected to ask a former International Monetary Fund official to try to form a new government, in a closely watched meeting that comes hours after he blocked the formation of a government supported by two euroskeptic, anti-establishment parties.
Sparking a new political crisis, Sergio Mattarella refused to approve the 5 Star Movement and the League’s pick to head the economy ministry, Paolo Savona, an 81-year-old economist who has criticized the euro. The president said he feared a new government...