The Italian Prime Minister has failed in his request for support in the Italian Senate.
(Photo: AP)
Rome After Mario Draghi’s speech in the morning, the omens looked more like a “keep it up” from the Italian government. The prime minister had declared in parliament that he would remain in office if the coalition backed him again. “Italy is strong when it is united,” Draghi appealed to the parties. But the political forces have not listened to his appeal.
After hours of speeches, an interruption of the Senate session and dozens of negotiations in the background, Draghi went into the decisive vote of confidence in the evening. Shortly before then, the setback for the former central banker: three of the supporting government parties announced that they would not take part in the vote.
The right-wing Lega, the conservative Forza Italia led by ex-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and the left-wing Five Star Movement, which only last week provoked the current government crisis, largely left the hall to vote.
Draghi got a majority when counting: 95 MPs voted for him, only 38 against him. But only 133 of the 315 senators actually took part in the vote. New elections are now becoming more and more likely. The Italian media are already speculating about the data, October 2 could be the earliest possible election date.
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Italy would be faced with a months-long political vacuum and an election campaign in which the old partners would blame each other for the misery. Unless President Sergio Mattarella finds another solution. A transitional government that could be in office by the next regular election date in early summer 2023 would be conceivable.
Alternatively, Mattarella could ask Draghi to reshuffle the cabinet – but that would put Draghi under pressure from Lega and Forza Italia. The centre-right announced that it would continue to govern, but only without the Five Stars.
“That should be the end for Draghi, game over,” says Francesco Galietti of the Roman political consultancy Policy Sonar. “What we saw today is a big appetite from the centre-right for snap elections.”
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