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In January, the Italian parliament will elect a new president to replace Sergio Matarella, who has decided not to run for another seven-year term.
Dragi said his ten-month government had laid the groundwork for important work to be continued. “We have created the conditions for work to continue regardless of who is in government,” Dragi told a traditional closing conference at the end of the year, making it clear that members were ready to change roles if they so wished.
“My personal destiny does not matter, I have no special ambitions. If you want, I am a grandfather in the institutional service,” said Dragi, who previously ran the European Central Bank.
If he changes jobs, the government will automatically fall, but Dragi said it was important for the coalition to remain intact until the scheduled end of the 2023 parliamentary term and for parliament to continue to fight the pandemic, boost economic growth and use EU funds.
The president’s role in Italy has become increasingly important, and he is often called upon to resolve the political stalemate following the parliamentary elections and to resolve coalition crises.
Although many Italians see Dragi as a natural choice for the presidency, several party leaders have urged him to stay at the forefront of the coalition, warning that if he leaves the coalition leadership, it could fall apart.
However, if he were to become president, his first task would be to appoint a new prime minister and persuade party leaders from both the right and the left to stay together in government.
Candidates for the presidency do not usually register before the parliamentary elections, which take place by secret ballot involving both upper and lower house legislators, as well as representatives from 20 Italian regions.
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