The President of the Italian Council, Mario Draghi, submitted his resignation on Thursday July 14, stressing in a press release that the conditions were no longer met for the performance of his duties after the decision of the 5 Star Movement (M5S), member of the ruling coalition, to boycott a vote of confidence on a text discussed in the Senate.
“The majority of national unity that has supported this government since its creation no longer exists. The pact of trust on which the action of this government is based has disappeared”justified Mr. Draghi.
But the Italian president, Sergio Mattarella, immediately refused the resignation of the prime minister. “The President of the Republic has invited [M. Draghi] to run for parliament (…) so that an assessment of the situation takes place. policy, announced the Presidency of the Republic in a press release.
The Head of State therefore refused to let him leave in the middle of summer, at the risk of bringing Italy into a period of instability. Mr. Mattarella is, moreover, of public notoriety opposed to the legislative elections, scheduled for 2023, being brought forward to the fall.
Enrico Letta, the leader of the Democratic Party, one of the main members of the coalition, was immediately delighted on Twittercommitting to “to work so that Parliament confirms its confidence in the Draghi government and that Italy emerges as quickly as possible from the spiraling fall into which it has fallen in recent hours”.
Overcoming pandemic emergency and economic crisis
On Wednesday evening, the president of the M5S, Giuseppe Conte, announced that the senators of his party had not participated in the vote of confidence requested by the executive on a decree-law containing measures of around 23 billion euros for helping families and businesses deal with inflation. This decree-law on aid in favor of purchasing power also contains a measure to facilitate the construction of a waste incinerator in Rome, which is opposed by the M5S.
Mr. Draghi, who spoke immediately after this vote with Mr. Mattarella, whose role is crucial in the event of a political crisis, had a majority to govern even without the “5 stars”. But the former president of the European Central Bank (ECB) had said on several occasions that there would be no government without them.
He had come to office in early 2021 to build a “national unity” coalition that could overcome the pandemic emergency and ensuing economic crisis. However, without the support of the M5S, he considers that his government becomes ” Politics “ and considers that he was not mandated to lead a cabinet of this nature.
“Since my inauguration speech in Parliament, I have always said that this government would continue only if it had a clear perspective of carrying out the program of government on which the political forces had voted confidence. (…). These conditions no longer exist today.justified Mr. Draghi, Thursday evening.
The uncertainty surrounding the future of the Draghi government did not fail to cause turbulence on the markets: the Milan Stock Exchange fell by more than 3% on Thursday and the cost of the debt of Italy went back to the bottom. rise, a sign of the ambient nervousness.