Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi will resign, according to his government. The coalition of “national unity” no longer exists, said the 74-year-old on Thursday. And further: “I would like to inform you that tonight I will submit my resignation to the President of the Republic.” Today’s vote in Parliament was very clear from a political point of view. “The majority of national unity that supported this government when it was formed is gone,” Draghi said. His coalition partner, the Five Star Movement, had previously stayed away from a vote of confidence because there were disagreements over the content of a stimulus package. The head of the party, Guiseppe Conte, had already announced this in advance.
Billions in aid for Italian households and companies affected by the high energy prices as a result of the war in Ukraine were up for vote in the Senate. The Cinque Stelle had asked for more aid, for example for families, and declared this a condition for remaining in the coalition. “We are absolutely ready for dialogue in order to make our constructive contribution to the government and to Draghi. But we are not ready to issue a blank check,” Conte said on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, there were reports that some members of the government were still trying on Thursday to prevent the coalition government from breaking up. The vote on the entire stimulus package was linked to a vote of confidence in the Senate.
Prime Minister Draghi had announced his resignation if the Five Stars left the coalition
It is unclear how things will continue now. Former Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, who is also a member of the government with his right-wing party Lega, had already called for new elections before the Senate vote in the event that the vote of confidence should fail. The Democratic Party is also not ready to form a new government without the Five Star Movement. The next regular election will be in May 2023.
Head of state Sergio Mattarella now has an important role to play. He has rejected Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s resignation. Mattarella called on Draghi to report to Parliament and assess the situation, his headquarters said in a statement on Thursday. He could also instruct Draghi to find a new government majority. Another possibility would be the dissolution of parliament and thus early elections.
However, observers consider early elections to be unlikely, because on the one hand the Italian budget for next year is to be prepared in the autumn and on the other hand most governing parties are unlikely to have any interest in this in view of the polls. In recent polls, the fascist and right-wing extremist party Fratelli d’Italia is ahead.