In Moscow last night they uncorked a bottle of prosecco. The Italian Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, will go up to the Quirinal Hill this Thursday and the former president of the European Central Bank (ECB) will again present his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella. Then the fate of Italy will be in his hands. It would be strange if, given the closeness of the end of the legislature – in March 2023 – the head of state opted for a different path than advancing the elections to the fall.
Convinced by the multiple appeals, both from international leaders and from mayors and associations of all kinds in Italy, Draghi backed down on his intention to resign and went to the Senate willing to continue leading the country. Of course, under his own conditions: he had to have a large majority that would support him with conviction in his program of reforms, social measures and an international agenda based on support for Ukraine and an Italian leading role in the next important decisions that he must take Europe, such as reviewing its fiscal rules.
“The support that I have seen in the country, the mobilization these days of citizens, associations, territories in favor of the continuity of the Government is unprecedented and cannot be ignored. It is what has encouraged me to propose a coalition pact and submit it to your vote. It is you who decide”, he told the senators, after explaining the reasons that had led him to resign and the achievements in these 17 months.
The answer was negative. After a heart-stopping day, three of Mario Draghi's partners turned their backs on him. The first stab at the Executive was already given last Thursday by the 5-Star Movement (M5E), author of the political crisis by withdrawing from the vote on a decree of measures against inflation that was subject to a vote of confidence, a usual procedure in Italy to speed up the procedures. But the final blow was the work of Matteo Salvini's League and Forza Italia, Silvio Berlusconi's party.
They warned Draghi that they would only vote for him if he reshuffled his executive to keep the grillini out. He did not open the door, so they carried out their threats and announced during the parliamentary session that they were going to be absent from the chamber during the vote. The M5E did the same thing, but at that point it was absolutely irrelevant.
On the street, Italians do not understand the reason for this crisis. Surely it is one of the most insane that is remembered. The fall of the president who has begun the most ambitious reform program in his history and who has made Italy a protagonist on the European agenda began because the M5E refused to vote in favor of the creation of an incinerator to eliminate Rome's garbage.
It is also extremely inconvenient that Italy is facing an early election when it urgently needs to approve next year's budget and cannot delay its objectives if it wants to keep up with the recovery plan. Europe must negotiate the stability pact in the coming months, something that is very much incumbent on one of the most indebted countries in the EU. Who better than the former president of the ECB to represent the interests of the south of the continent.
His fall, defined by the European Commissioner for Economy, Paolo Gentiloni, as the "ballet of the irresponsible", only benefits one person: Giorgia Meloni. The far-right, leader of the Brothers of Italy, leads the polls and has many numbers to soon become the first woman to access the head of the Italian government. She has over 23% of her support, but with the company of her right-wing partners she could form a government with ease. She is already preparing her list of ministers, reports La Repubblica.
La Liga and Forza Italia have taken advantage of the chaos caused by the grillini to force the elections, convinced that it is better to vote soon and ensure the victory of the right, even at the cost of giving Palacio Chigi to Meloni. By its internal rules, whoever comes first in the coalition has the privilege of choosing the prime minister. They will try to tell their voters that Draghi's end is not their fault but M5E's, but it remains to be seen if they believe them. According to the polls, the majority of his followers wanted the banker to continue. After all, most of the supporters of these parties are in the rich north of the country. Entrepreneurs and employees who right now are more concerned about inflation than immigration.
The fall of Mario Draghi, already celebrated ahead of time by former Russian President Dimitri Medvedev, is one of the best news Vladimir Putin could receive. With Draghi, Italy had forgotten that in the past it was a bridge between Moscow and the West to become a convinced defender of the Ukrainian cause. Coincidentally, those who have delivered the coup de grâce have been an old friend of Putin (Berlusconi) and a former admirer (Salvini).
