Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi resigned on Thursday. He survived a confidence vote in the senate on Wednesday night, but three ruling parties abstained.
Draghi therefore had no choice but to resign. He did that before, but Italian President Sergio Mattarella did not accept the resignation. He wanted Draghi to try to get support first. Later on Thursday, Draghi will officially offer his resignation to Mattarella.
Italy has entered a political crisis after one of the coalition parties, the Five Star Movement, boycotted a vote on a multi-billion dollar aid package last week. That package serves as a cushion for inflation.
Draghi was furious about the boycott. He felt that the action had brought an end to his coalition of national unity.
Draghi popular among the people and the media
Draghi, the former president of the European Central Bank (ECB), came to power in February last year. He took over from Giuseppe Conte.
He became the sixth Italian Prime Minister in ten years. Within the European Union, there was a lot of attachment to Draghi’s stay, because he is seen as a stable leader.
Also among the Italian people there was strong support for Draghi’s stay, because of his experience at the ECB and his track record. The way he guided Italy through the corona crisis also received a lot of praise.
The Italians are therefore also angry about the political situation in the country. Many citizens and also Italian media have supported Draghi in recent times. They see the boycott of the Five Star Movement as “betrayal”.
After the summer elections
The fall of the government means that elections will be held in Italy in September or October at the earliest.
In Italy, all parties from parliament are currently also in government, except for the far-right and post-fascist Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy). This opposition party could benefit greatly from the government crisis and early elections. New elections were already planned for the spring of 2023.
–
