ROME – Prime Minister Mario Draghi of Italy, who offered to resign last week after an uprising in his broad nationalist unity government, on Wednesday challenged the country’s inept parties to stick together for the country’s good as a condition of his stay.
“The only way forward, if we want to stay together, is to rebuild this treaty from the ground up, with courage, forgiveness and credibility,” Draghi said in a statement. Italian Senate, throws down a glove before the confidence vote. in the upper and lower chambers of Parliament on Wednesday and Thursday will determine the fate of his government, along with the stability of Italy and much of Europe at a particularly difficult time.
Mr. Draghi, speaking to a long round of applause but also some trumpets, said that public calls for the government to continue were “not to be ignored” and that while “Italy is strong knowing how end,” political motives have “unfortunately” caused the parties to seek to differentiate themselves and undermine “the desire to move forward together”.
That political policy has brought Italy to the brink of instability once again after a period of relative calm, progress and expansion of influence under Draghi’s leadership, which has made Italy part of the country. essential part of Europe’s united front against Russia in response to the war in Ukraine. and its efforts to rebuild its economy amid the pandemic.
Much will now depend on whether Italy’s political parties accept Mr Draghi’s offer, particularly the Five Star Movement, which has sparked the current crisis by withholding support last week in a key vote on government spending priorities.
That rebellion prompted Mr. Draghi to offer to resign. Sergio Mattarella, the president of Italy, rejected his resignation and asked Mr. Draghi to speak before the National Assembly, where confidence votes will hold all parties accountable for their decisions.
Mr Draghi told Parliament on Wednesday that the Five Star uprising signifies the “end” of the confidence pact that fueled his government, and that it is unacceptable. If one side can do it, he warned, anyone “could do it again” and ransoming the government to accommodate narrow political interests will become the norm.
He said that since he was appointed caretaker prime minister and was not directly elected, his legitimacy depends on “as much support as possible.”
“Are you ready to rebuild this treaty?” Mr. Draghi repeated many times, concluding that the answer to this question is not with him but with the Italian people.
If Mr. Draghi does not get the support he is asking for today, he will resign for good, and many analysts believe Mr. Mattarella will call an early election, as early as September.
Mr Draghi’s speech was an attempt to avoid the chaos such a crisis would most likely bring.
