Europe

Mario Draghi announces his resignation after losing the majority to govern

Mario Draghi announces his resignation after losing the majority to govern

The Italian Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, will present his resignation today, after losing the parliamentary majority that supported him, as he himself announced at the beginning of an appearance in the Chamber of Deputies, where he was welcomed with applause.

Draghi asked that the session be suspended because he was going to go immediately to communicate his resignation to the head of state, Sergio Mattarella, who is expected to call early elections, although he could also commission him to seek another majority to exhaust the legislature or grant that mission to another technical or institutional figure.

Draghi’s decision comes after three partners in his government coalition, Silvio Berlusconi’s conservative Forza Italia (FI), Matteo Salvini’s far-right League and Giuseppe Conte’s populist 5 Star Movement (M5S), withdrew their support. in a confidence motion this Wednesday in the Senate.

The session in the Chamber of Deputies, which will resume at 12:00 noon (10:00 GMT), will close the parliamentary process that began yesterday in the Senate at the request of Mattarella, who last Thursday rejected his resignation due to the abandonment of one of his partners, the 5 Star Movement (M5S), and urge him to go to Parliament to try to rebuild the government coalition.

The prime minister went to the Senate to try to rebuild the coalition of national unity that supported him, but ended up losing the support of three members of his government, the populist M5S, the conservative Forza Italia (FI) of Silvio Berlusconi and the far-right League of Matteo Salvini.

Draghi left the Senate after knowing the intentions of his partners and before the end of the vote, which ended up winning with 95 votes in favor and 38 against, although only 133 of the total of 320 senators voted.

The economist has led a coalition of national unity since February 2021 in which almost all the parties in the hemicycle were, except Giorgia Meloni’s ultra Brothers of Italy.

Last week the crisis broke out in his coalition after the M5S did not vote on a confidence motion, distancing himself from the rest of his partners, which pushed Draghi to present his resignation.

However, President Mattarella rejected his resignation and summoned him to seek a solution in Parliament, which had begun today in the Senate and will continue tomorrow in the Chamber of Deputies, although it is an impossible mission due to the confrontation between the M5S and the right.

Berlusconi and Salvini welcome the call for early elections, which could be held in early October and which is the option that their electoral partner and ultra-leader Meloni has been demanding for days, alone in the opposition and the country’s leading force according to the majority of the surveys.

In recent days, unions, employers, numerous associations of all kinds and even the Catholic Church had encouraged Draghi’s continuation due to the ongoing economic, energy and social crisis.

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