Italian PM Draghi's resignation rejected, triggering political crisis
Max Civili
Press TV, Rome
Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi offered his resignation on Wednesday following a rift with the Five Star Movement (5SM), but President Sergio Mattarella turned it down in a bid to overcome the political deadlock. Press TV's Max Civili reports from Rome.
On Wednesday, Draghi announced his resignation at the end of a bruising day in which his executive survived a confidence vote on a cost-of-living bill in the Senate with one of the biggest parties in the government alliance - the 5SM - abstaining from voting.
In a statement, Draghi said that the pact of trust at the base of the government's action and the conditions to carry out the executive's program no longer exists.
However, President Mattarella rejected Draghi's resignation in an attempt to break the political impasse by inviting the former European Central Bank president to address parliament and assess the situation.
The Five Star Movement pulled its support for the Draghi government over a bill aimed at helping businesses and households with skyrocketing energy prices and a provision for a trash incinerator in Rome, a project the once-anti-establishment party staunchly opposes.
Draghi government was formed after ex-prime minister Giuseppe Conte's second executive term collapsed in February 2021.
Draghi was appointed to address the consequences of the pandemic and manage about 200 billion euros in grants and low-interest loans from the European Union for a radical restructuring of Italy's economy.
President Mattarella takes on a central role now. It's up to him to decide whether to try to persuade outgoing PM Draghi to try to form another executive, find a new caretaker leader to take the country to an election next year, or call an early election.
Early elections in September/October would be an unprecedented event in Italy's political history as, in the autumn, the government generally needs to prepare and pass its budget.
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