by Giuseppe Fonte, Angelo Lover, Crispian Balmer
ROME (Reuters) – Italy’s government was near collapse on Wednesday as three partners in the coalition led by Mario Draghi decided not to take part in a vote of confidence he had requested in hopes of ending the divisions and to relaunch their alliance.
If the Senate gave its confidence to Mario Draghi with 95 votes against 38, the vote took place without dozens of elected members from member parties of the ruling coalition in Rome, leaving the prospect of early legislative elections in September or October.
The conservative parties Forza Italia and the League have decided to abstain, as well as the 5-Star Movement (M5S), an “anti-system” party whose similar boycott last week had prompted Mario Draghi to submit his resignation – refused by the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella.
This boycott threatens to plunge Italy into crisis again, after a few months of relative stability during which Mario Draghi contributed to the measures decided by Europe following Russia’s offensive in Ukraine and to restore luster to the country on the financial markets.
“The policies have failed,” reacted Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, who had repeatedly called on the coalition parties to support Mario Draghi.
“The future of the Italians was at stake. The effects of this tragic choice will go down in history,” he added.
According to a political source, Mario Draghi is expected to announce his intention to resign on Thursday when he speaks before the lower house of Parliament. He should then formalize his decision with the President of the Republic, who should announce elections.
THE FAR RIGHT BENEFICIARY VIEW OF ELECTIONS
The former President of the European Central Bank (ECB) spoke during the day before Parliament at the request of Sergio Mattarella, in the hope of reviving the coalition formed eighteen months earlier and avoiding a ballot anticipated.
During his speech, without compromise, Mario Draghi again called on the coalition parties to unite, citing the problems facing Italy – war in Ukraine, social inequalities and inflation, in particular.
“The only way, if we want to stay together, is to rebuild this pact, with courage, altruism and credibility,” he told the Senate, adding that many Italians wanted the coalition to stay in place until in the elections originally scheduled for early next year.
The conservative parties had declared on Wednesday that they would only remain in the government if the M5S was no longer part of it, asking in a press release for a major government reshuffle – a hypothesis rejected by Mario Draghi.
Italy’s Prime Minister is likely to remain in office to attend to day-to-day business until the elections, for which the conservative bloc is the favorite, according to the polls, with gains anticipated for the far-right Brothers of Italy – the only major formation that refused to join the coalition.
The political turmoil comes against a difficult economic backdrop for a heavily indebted country, as borrowing costs have risen sharply amid the ECB’s monetary policy tightening.
The European Commissioner for the Economy, the Italian Paolo Gentiloni, said via Twitter that the “irresponsible” move against Mario Draghi could lead to a “full storm” and “difficult months” in Italy, the third largest economy in the euro zone.
The leader of the Democratic Party (left, PD), another coalition partner, felt that Parliament had decided against the will of the people. “Italians are going to be wiser at the polls than their politicians have been,” Enrico Letta wrote on Twitter.
(Report Giuseppe Fonte, Angelo Amante and Giselda Vagnoni; French version Jean Terzian)