Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte was due to address the upper house of the parliament on Tuesday, most likely bringing the current rightwing government toward an end.

His move followed the decision of far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini in early August to submit a no-confidence motion against the prime minister, with the declared aim of calling snap elections.

Salvini's anti-immigrant League party has been supporting the cabinet in coalition with anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) since the government was sworn in on June 1, 2018.

After showing an initial cohesion, the League-M5S gov't experience has been marred by frequent tensions between the two allies on a wide range of issues, including infrastructure projects such as the Turin-Lyon high-speed rail, and some economic reforms underway.

Two main options would open up after the speech of the prime minister to the senate scheduled at 3 p.m. local time, according to all major domestic analysts.

Conte could either wait for the response of senators to the no-confidence motion submitted by the League; or, he could bypass the parliamentary vote by going straight to Italian president Sergio Mattarella to remit his mandate, which would trigger consultations.

Both ways were fully viable according to the country's constitution and political practices.

In early June, Conte -- a 55-year mild-mannered lawyer and political novice -- had already warned the two coalition parties that he would be ready to remit his mandate, unless they stopped quarrelling and confirmed their commitment to the government's program.

In his address to senators on Tuesday, Conte was expected to severely criticize the political behavior of Salvini, who prompted the crisis on Aug. 8 by saying the governing majority did no longer exist, and it was time to "go back to voters."

The day after, Conte reacted with a press conference in which he made his stance clear.

"It will be up to him (Salvini) to explain to the country... the reasons that led him to prematurely and abruptly interrupt the government," the prime minister said at the time.

"I will make sure that this crisis, which he (Salvini) started, will be the most transparent ever."

Ties between M5S and League appeared now severely strained, with M5S' leaders -- and especially the founder of the movement, former comedian Beppe Grillo -- calling Salvini a "traitor".

Meanwhile, several media observers suggested a possible new coalition could be tested -- after political consultations led by president Mattarella -- between M5S and center-left Democratic Party.

Another possible option, still according to media analyses, could be a new majority comprising the League, former PM Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, and far-right Brothers of Italy party.

Tension between the two coalition parties especially flared up after the European parliament elections held in May, which saw the League doubling its support from around 17 to over 34 percent (compared to 2018 national elections), while the M5S lost much of its consensus. 

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