And to be sure, the fact that their union has even lasted this long is a testament to the frustration that many Italians felt toward the center-left and center-right parties in the aftermath of buffoonish antics of Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's longest serving post-war ruler, and the ineffectual reign of Matteo Renzi.

But Matteo Salvini's confrontational approach to the Italian migrant crisis - including his controversial decisions to turn away boats loaded with refugees - has caused support for his right-wing, anti-immigrant League party to surge. At the same time, M5s, led by Salvini's deputy prime minister Luigi Di Maio, has grown increasingly antagonistic, most recently supporting the ouster of a key Salvini advisor over allegations of corruption.

The growing rift, which has intensified as Salvini and Di Maio took shots at one another in the Italian press, also fueled speculation that Salvini might soon reach for the nuclear option: Calling another general election to try and capitalize on the League's soaring popularity to ditch M5S, and form a new conservative coalition, perhaps with the very same establishment figure that enabled Salvini's rise in the first place.