The Italian government’s turn to be weakened. The senators of the 5 Star Movement, headed by Guiseppe Conte (M5S, antisystem), member of the ruling coalition, did not participate in the vote of confidence on Thursday on a text discussed in the Senate. Result ? Prime Minister Mario Draghi has announced his intention to resign. Suiting the action to the word, he immediately presented this resignation to the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, who refused it, inviting him “to present himself to Parliament, so that an assessment of the situation “.
“Today, we are not taking part in the vote on this decree-law”, announced earlier in the day the head of the senators of the M5S, Mariolina Castellone, explaining that this text did not meet the needs of the country. And this even if Prime Minister Mario Draghi had made their non-participation a casus belli which would lead to his resignation. Giuseppe Conte, the former head of government and current boss of the 5 Star Movement, announced this scenario on Wednesday evening.
A garbage incinerator as an object of contention
The story is Italian, complicated: this decree-law, which contains measures of around 23 billion euros to help families and businesses in the face of inflation, also includes a measure to facilitate the construction… of a garbage incinerator in Rome. But the M5S opposes incinerators which, according to him, are expensive, polluting, inefficient and do not encourage the population to selective sorting.
During the vote in the Chamber of Deputies last week, the M5S had voted confidence in the government, but had subsequently abstained during the concrete vote on the decree-law. The rules are however different in the Senate where the vote of confidence coincides with that of the document in question, not allowing the M5S the loophole used in the Chamber of Deputies. “The majority of national unity that has supported this government since its creation no longer exists,” Mario Draghi said on Thursday to motivate his resignation. The confidence pact on which this government’s action is based has disappeared. »
Could a melting wind be blowing over European democracies? Last Thursday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was forced to resign after a series of scandals. He is expected to leave 10 Downing Street in the coming days. Added to this is the French situation: re-elected, Emmanuel Macron must advance to Parliament without an absolute majority, making the implementation of the desired reforms perilous.