Italy in crisis: Draghi should take over the formation of a government

Wednesday, February 03, 2021

Italy in crisis
Draghi should take over the formation of a government

Italy is in a deep government crisis. Mario Draghi is considered the bearer of hope. The former head of the ECB is to hold talks in Rome about the formation of a new government.

After the failure of the exploratory talks, Italy's head of state Sergio Mattarella called for the formation of a unity government. "I feel obliged to appeal to all political forces present in parliament to place their trust in a high-ranking government that should not identify with any political formula," he said in a short address that evening. Shortly afterwards, his official residence announced that the former head of the European Central Bank (ECB), Mario Draghi, had been invited to talks in the Quirinal Palace for Wednesday.

Draghi had been in discussion for weeks as head of an expert government in Rome. Such a cabinet would likely be a solution in the coming weeks or months to guide Italy through its most pressing problems in the corona pandemic. Mattarella had previously called for a stable government that, at best, will last until the end of the legislative period in 2023. Such a government with the previous center-left alliance under Giuseppe Conte is considered to be off the table after the breakdown of the talks.

During the explorations, the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Roberto Fico, had been given the task of bringing the old allies around the table and negotiating a compromise. On Tuesday he shared his results with Mattarella and finally announced that there is currently no readiness to "create a government majority".

Mattarella wants to avoid new elections during the pandemic

That left Mattarella with two ways out, as he said in his statement: to push a new government immediately or early elections. "The route of new elections must be considered because it is an element of democracy," said the social democrat. In view of the current pandemic emergency in the country with around 60 million inhabitants, however, one could not afford a month-long election campaign, said the 79-year-old. For Italy, important aid funds from the EU's Corona reconstruction fund are currently at stake. The government must submit an investment plan for this. However, the coalition had broken up on the distribution of this money.

The dispute culminated in the resignation of former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's party and a little later in the resignation of Prime Minister Conte. The government has to work, because the plan for the billions in aid is expected in April at the EU Commission. "We cannot afford to miss this crucial opportunity for our future," said the head of state.

Italy is also still firmly in the grip of the corona pandemic, which plunged the country into an economic crisis and exacerbated serious problems in the health sector. Meanwhile, after the failed exploratory talks, the parties' mud fight began. The Five Star Movement accused Renzi of targeting only important ministerial posts. Conversely, Italia Viva accused the star politicians of not having moved a step on important demands.