By Angelo Amante and Crispian Balmer
ROME (Reuters) – Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi will address the upper house of the Senate on Wednesday over a political crisis that could bring down his government and trigger a snap election at a time of international tumult and economic upheaval.
Draghi tendered his resignation last week after the Populist 5 Star Movement refused to back his broad coalition in a parliamentary vote of confidence.
President Sergio Mattarella rejected the resignation and instead asked him to address parliament, hoping he would find a solution allowing him to remain in office until the end of the legislature in early 2023.
The senators were summoned for 9:30 a.m. (0730 GMT) and the result of a vote on the Prime Minister’s speech was expected for 7:30 p.m. (1730 GMT). A debate on the future of government is also expected to take place in the lower house on Thursday.
Political cartoons about world leaders
Little appears to have changed on the political front since last week, when the 5-star boycotted the vote of confidence on measures to ease the high cost of living, complaining that its own concerns had been ignored.
It remains unclear if Draghi remains determined to step down at some point over the next couple of days, or if he might change his mind and stay in power, as many inside and outside have demanded. outside Italy, fearing his departure would trigger chaos.
The former head of the European Central Bank has enough support to remain in office without 5 stars, but he has so far rejected this option as his original mandate was to lead a national unity coalition with parties from all over the world. political horizons.
Five-star leader Giuseppe Conte said over the weekend he wanted Draghi to signal he was ready to implement some of his political priorities before renewing his support for the government, including introducing a minimum wage system.
Complicating efforts to overcome divisions, the right-wing League party and its Forza Italia allies said they no longer wanted to share power with 5-Star.
The 5 star has held repeated meetings in recent days to try to decide on its strategy, but remains deeply divided. Two party MPs told Reuters that on Tuesday evening they had received no guidance on how to vote in Wednesday’s debate.
If Draghi thinks his government cannot be revived, he will submit his resignation once again to President Mattarella, almost certainly paving the way for elections in late September or early October.
Italy hasn’t had an autumn election since World War II because that’s the time normally set aside for budgeting.
Ratings agency Fitch said Monday that Draghi’s resignation would make structural reforms and fiscal consolidation even more difficult in Italy, which has the second-highest debt-to-GDP ratio in Europe after Greece.
(Reporting by Angelo Amante, editing by Angus MacSwan)
Copyright 2022 Thomson Reuters.