Prime Minister explains that his striking return to Rome was planned before the end of the NATO summit in Madrid
The question Italians are asking themselves is no longer whether Mario Draghi’s government will fall or not, but when it will. Sixteen months after the birth of the heterogeneous nine-party government coalition, it seems increasingly difficult for the executive in Rome to accelerate the legislature, which will, of course, end in the early months of 2023. The final shock is experienced by Draghi as a result. from the internal crisis suffered by the Five Star Movement (M5E), the largest political force in parliament, until it was broken last week by the birth of a split led by Foreign Minister Luigi di Maio. One of the underlying reasons for the split comes from the will of M5E president Giuseppe Conte to interrupt arms shipments to Ukraine, something Draghi and Di Maio do not accept.
After the now-debunked rumor emerged that Draghi had asked M5E founder Beppe Grillo to remove Conte because of how uncomfortable he felt, speculation arose about the movement’s possible exit from the governing coalition. This interpretation was also supported by the fact that the prime minister returned to Rome on Wednesday evening after leaving the NATO summit in Madrid. Draghi had to calm down this Thursday, when he ensured the continuity of the executive, explaining that the return to the Italian capital was already planned, as he wanted to participate in the Council of Ministers that approved the extension of aid for families and companies to prevent the rise in to cope with the energy price.
“The government is not at risk,” said the former European Central Bank president, assuring he is “optimistic” about the chance that the cabinet he leads will finish its term. Draghi has also categorically denied asking Grillo for Conte’s head and has insisted on maintaining an open dialogue with the latter, whose contribution to the Executive he has applauded and thanked.
“I have said from the start that this government could not do without the M5E, that it has made a significant contribution during these months and that it will certainly maintain it,” said the prime minister, who was not “satisfied” with this. political power withdrew from the governing coalition and limited itself to providing foreign support in parliament. That’s one of the options analysts say Conte might have considered to try to occupy a political opposition space and try to get back in the polls. The latest polls give the M5E less than 7% in voting intention after Di Maio’s split, almost 5 times less than the result obtained in the last general election, held in 2018.
While Draghi has managed to channel this crisis with Conte, expectations for the coming months are not very reassuring. In addition to the wide-ranging possibilities that frictions with the M5E will re-emerge, comes the League’s increasingly apparent discomfort in the governing coalition. This conservative party led by Matteo Salvini is desperate at the speed with which the Brothers of Italy, the political force of the far-right Giorgia Meloni, who represents the only opposition Draghi’s executive power has in parliament today, is eating up.
Political commentators believe that Salvini could withdraw the Liga from the governing coalition after the summer break. The split could even be completed before two bills unacceptable to the League come into force, one to legalize cannabis and another to give nationality to the children of immigrants who have been studying in the country for five years. Both are promoted by the M5E and by the Democratic Party, the main center-left formation.
In the event that Conte or Salvini eventually decide to break the government, Draghi has made it very clear that he is not willing to lead a new executive for the rest of the legislature, even if he had enough support. Italy would then be forced to hold early elections.
Source: La Verdad
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