Political crises in Europe follow one another. After the resignation of Boris Johnson, it is the turn of the Italian Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, to want to leave the government. His decision, which occurred on July 14, was immediately refused by Sergio Mattarella, the current President of the Republic. This episode follows strong opposition from the Five Star Movement (M5S, antisystem), a stakeholder in the ruling coalition.
Draghi’s resignation: a government on the brink of collapse
“I want to announce that this evening, I will submit my resignation to the President of the Republic”, announced Mario Draghi, the current Italian Prime Minister, in the Council of Ministers on 14 July. This political thunderbolt follows the proposal of a law for an aid plan of 23 billion euros in favor of households and businesses… Proposal to counter galloping inflation, but which suffered an abstention from the senators of the Five Star Movement.
After weeks of heated discussions between Giuseppe Conte, party leader, and Mario Draghi, the tension is at its height. At the dawn of political chaos, Giuseppe Conte had already announced on July 13 that his party could not maintain confidence in the Prime Minister’s coalition government. According to France 24, the leader of the M5S declared the day before the vote of confidence: “We are absolutely willing to dialogue, to make our constructive contribution to the government. At Draghi, we are not willing to write a blank check.”
For his part, Matteo Salvini, leader of the Northern League, made it known that his party “would stop supporting Mario Draghi in case of M5S withdrawal”. Despite this, he is in favor of early legislative elections. It is a real coup de theater within the parliamentary hemicycle, which is playing out in a tense economic and financial context.
Following Mario Draghi’s announcement, the Presidency of the Italian Republic immediately replied: “The President of the Republic did not accept the resignation of the President of the Council and invited him to appear in parliament (…) so that an assessment of the situation could take place”. So, is President Sergio Mattarella’s risky mission to bring some semblance of political order to the hemicycle doomed to failure?
Mario Draghi and the Five Star Movement
Does the political movement have “electoral ulterior motives”, as reported by Euronews? Indeed, according to Lorenzo Codogno, former chief economist of the Italian Treasury. “The M5S is collapsing in the polls and needs to recover visibility (…). It wants to be the center of attention”.
Currently, the polls are not in favor of the Five Star Movement. The electoral triumph which the M5S had made strong in 2018, then winning nearly 32% of the votes, seems far behind. According to Le Figaro, today, voting intentions for the party have dropped: to reach only 10 to 11% of the vote. Legislative defeat seems close enough for the Five Star Movement; it is struggling to restore its image. Indeed, the text of the law planned to counter inflation and the rise in the price of energy has created more divergences between the starred members. Just like the political debacle within the Tories having left Boris Johnson’s party in large numbers, many of Italy’s star-studded lawmakers have also jumped ship, as the next general election takes place in nine months.
See also: Thunderbolt in Downing Street: Boris Johnson announces his resignation
Even if he still has a majority without the Five Star Movement, Mario Draghi deplores a loss of national unity. According to his words, “the majority of national unity which has supported this government since its creation no longer exists. The pact of confidence founding the action of this government has disappeared.” Yet the former European Central Banker still has a majority to govern, but Euronews reports that the Prime Minister considers that “without the support of the M5S, he considers that his government is becoming “political” and believes that he has not been mandated to lead a cabinet of this nature”.
Like Boris Johnson, the uncertainty in Mario Draghi’s coalition has meant that many of his elected officials have since left government. If the European nations want to toughen the sanctions against Russia, the economic and social repercussions do not seem to the taste of the starred elected officials. What about the Italians?
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Energy crisis, political crisis, economic crisis… Italy is bubbling
While the proliferation of Western sanctions against Russia has impacted European populations, Italians are embracing the dreaded energy crisis. According to Radio France, “Italy depends on a quarter of its energy mix on Russian gas”. Autumn promises to be tough for Italians who want to warm up. A period that promises to be complicated, while this is traditionally used to prepare the draft budget.
Indeed, the anti-crisis measures taken since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24 are not to the liking of all members of the government. It is for this reason that Luigi Di Maio, the current Minister of Foreign Affairs and former leader of the Five Star Movement, left the party on 21 June. The ex-leader of the movement had accused his own party “to undermine the government’s efforts to support Ukraine and to weaken Rome’s position within the European Union”as reported by Challenges.
See also: In Washington, Draghi and Biden praise their unity against Russia
The prospect of a political balance between the allies of the Five Star Movement and Mario Draghi is bogged down. The President of the Council, having refused the resignation of the Prime Minister, should address the parliamentarians on Wednesday July 20.
The Draghi era takes a hit. The coming days will be decisive for Italy, in a context of socio-economic turmoil compromising the financial market. Indeed, following the announcement of the Italian Prime Minister, the Milan Stock Exchange fell by nearly 3% and the country’s debt also started to rise again, as confirmed by the Obs. At the dawn of global social revolts, could this be a sign of political fragility on a European scale?
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