Political turmoil has returned to Southern Europe. The governments of Italy and Spain are facing crises that raise questions about the future of much-needed economic and institutional reforms and that could lead to early elections. In Italy, the country's continued use of the euro could be under threat. Because of these concerns, the second half of 2018 will be filled with economic uncertainty for the two countries, which are the eurozone's third and fourth largest economies, respectively. In Italy, the coalition between the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and the right-wing League, which was close to forming a government , collapsed after President Sergio Mattarella refused to appoint a Euroskeptic candidate to the post of economy minister. Instead, Mattarella opted to appoint Carlo Cottarelli, a former International Monetary Fund official, to lead a caretaker government.