Mario Draghi: Trust rebuilding was crucial before vote of confidence

ROME (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Mario Draghi, the prime minister of Italy, has stated that rebuilding the covenant of trust is essential to the survival of his government as he considers a wave of support for his continued employment ahead of a vote of confidence slated for Wednesday night.

The former president of the European Central Bank submitted his resignation last week after the Five Star Movement (M5S), a significant part of his broad coalition, refused to support a vote on a €26 billion cost-of-living package, 

Sergio Mattarella, the president, rejected his resignation and requested him to address the legislature instead in an effort to prevent Italy’s third political impasse in three years.

Draghi stated during his speech in the senate on Wednesday that the M5S’s boycott was an obvious political gesture that was not possible to ignore since that would mean ignoring parliament. It was impossible to contain since anyone might repeat it, he continued. Furthermore, it was impossible to minimise it.

Following Draghi’s resignation, a massive campaign was launched to keep him in office. This campaign included statements from over 1,500 mayors representing all political parties and numerous labour groups. Draghi described this public support as “unprecedented and impossible to ignore.”

The stability demand forced everyone to consider if it was feasible to reestablish the circumstances under which the government could effectively function, Draghi said.

At this time, the parliamentarians were responding to the speech. Draghi remarked that they didn’t have to respond to him. They had to give it to all Italians as he questioned his coalition’s frequently at odds parties about their readiness to restore the pact and unity of the first few months of his administration.

How the situation will turn out can’t be said yet. Former prime minister and M5S leader Giuseppe Conte stated on Tuesday that in order to win over his party, Draghi must embrace key M5S policy demands, such as a basic income.

A significant number of MPs have left M5S, which won the most votes in the 2018 general election, and more are anticipated to follow. The former leader of the M5S and foreign minister, Luigi Di Maio, left the organisation in June, taking with him a large number of parliamentarians. According to reports, Di Maio broke off from Conte because the latter purportedly desired his ministerial position.

Sociologist and strong M5S supporter Domenico De Masi claimed that the party has no choice but to leave the ruling coalition.

Draghi might form a majority even though he has already stated that he won’t govern without M5S. The far-right League and Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia have ruled out remaining in a Draghi administration that included the M5S, but the centre-left Democratic party has pledged its support nonetheless.