Rome has been thrown into political chaos after Italian President Sergio Mattarella rejected Prime Minister Mario Draghi's resignation after the 5-Star Movement threatened to boycott the confidence vote.
In a statement, Draghi said that the pact of trust that had sustained the unity government was already gone. However, President Mattarella refused to accept the prime minister's resignation, instead urging him to address parliament to provide a clear picture of the political situation.
Mario Draghi's Resignation
It remains unclear how Mattarella's remarks will affect the political crisis that Italy has been plunged into as Draghi is expected to go to parliament on Wednesday. With sufficient support, the prime minister could remain in office.
The sudden development in Rome capped a day of drama that was triggered by the populist 5-Star Movement leader Giuseppe Conte's refusal to back the government's $23 billion package of economic aid for families and businesses. He argued that Draghi was not doing enough to tackle the cost of living crisis in the country.
Despite the Italian government comfortably winning Thursday's vote in the Senate with the help of other parties, the man who is known as "Super Mario" repeatedly warned that without the populist movement's support, the government will not survive, as per BBC.
"Today's votes in Parliament are very significant from a political point of view. The national unity majority that supported this government since its creation no longer exists," said Draghi. The prime minister went to the Quirinale Palace to tender his resignation to the president after he addressed ministers.
The situation comes as elections were already due early in 2023 and, if the Italian government does collapse, a vote is likely to take place this autumn, much earlier than expected. Several parties on the right are keen on early elections, but a period of political uncertainty will jeopardize the nation's efforts to tackle a looming energy crisis and pass next year's budget to secure EU funding.
According to CNN, a statement from the office of the president read that the president of the Republic did not accept the resignation of Draghi and invited the Prime Minister to appear before Parliament. Many Italian political parties also expressed their support for President Mattarella's decision.
Internal Party Disputes
In a Facebook post, the minister for public administration from the Go Italy party, Renato Brunetta, said that Italy, in this difficult moment, cannot go on without Draghi. Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio also described the decision of his former party, the 5-Star Movement, as a "clear act of irresponsibility, thus condemning the country to the abyss."
Di Maio's party released a statement saying that they supported the president's decision and called Draghi a "precious and fundamental" political figure. It added that they were working to ensure that a solid majority in support of this government emerges in the parliament on Wednesday.
Analysts also contended that the opposition to the policy package is not so much ideological but a result of internal party disputes. The co-president of the consultancy firm Teneo, Wolfango Piccoli, said on Thursday that the move by 5-Star was largely triggered by turmoil prevailing within the ailing party, CNBC reported.
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