ROME — Italy’s golden period of stability suddenly looked like the familiar abyss of chaos on Thursday, after Prime Minister Mario Draghi tendered his resignation in response to a populist uprising against the establishment within his broad national unity government.
But as a sign of how traumatic Mr Draghi’s departure to Italy would be, the country’s president refused to accept his resignation, effectively freezing the political situation until next week, when Mr Draghi will address Parliament.
The unexpected governmental crisis, and the theatrical and machine machinations behind the scenes, left Italy in a state of suspended animation, creating a potential disaster for Europe as it seeks a united front against Russian aggression in Ukraine, and faces a wave of Covid infections and an energy crisis.
On Thursday night, Italian politicians and analysts struggled to figure out exactly what had happened — and what would happen next. Despite Mr Draghi’s intention to step down, it remained possible that he could remain in power if key political players resisted the temptation to back down in line.
Among them is the man who started the uprising, former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte of the Five Star Movement.
But the events of that day also made it clear that the gravity of the planned elections in early 2023 would continue to tear all parties apart, and that Mr Draghi, who had made that unity of the government a precondition for staying in office, was still could get up to stop.
In offering his resignation, Mr Draghi had said that “the majority of the national unity that has supported this government since its inception no longer exists.”
Italian President Sergio Mattarella “did not accept the resignation”, according to a statement from Mr Mattarella’s office, instead inviting Mr Draghi to speak with Parliament in the coming days to “address the situation that has arisen”. to grab.
Most agreed that the next five days leading up to Mr Draghi’s speech in Parliament to explain his reasoning would be crucial.
“There are still five days to work so that Parliament can reaffirm its confidence in the Draghi government and allow Italy to exit the dramatic downward spiral it is now entering,” Democratic Party leader Enrico Letta said in a Twitter account. -message.
If Mr Mattarella or the political parties that want the government to survive fail to convince Mr Draghi to stay, it would mean instability, not just for Italy, but for all of Europe, and in an uncertain time. The European Union, of which Mr Draghi is a staunch advocate, is struggling to maintain unity in the face of the aggression in Ukraine by President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.
After Mr Draghi took office in early 2021, when the Italian president asked him to solve a political crisis created by the collapse of Mr Conte’s government, he led the country out of the worst days of the Covid pandemic and put the government full of highly talented experts who have shaken Italy out of its political and economic malaise.
Mr Draghi, a titan of Europe often referred to as Super Mario for his role in saving the euro as president of the European Central Bank, gave Italy an immediate boost in international reputation and investor confidence.
The promise of his steady hand at the wheel helped Italy receive more than 200 billion euros, or about $240 billion, in relief funds from Europe – a transformative amount that gave Italy its best chance at modernization in decades.
Draghi delivered moderate growth in Italy, reformed the legal system and tax law, streamlined Italy’s bureaucracy and found various energy sources outside Russia, including renewables.
Gradually, he made unfashionable populism and competence admirable, repositioning Italy as a reliable force for democratic values within Europe.
Perhaps most crucially, he was instrumental in pushing Italy, which has often maintained a close, transactional and ambiguous relationship with Russia, into the European mainstream on support for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia. Italy was the first major Western country to publicly support Ukraine’s eventual membership in the European Union.
The possible departure of Mr Draghi opens the door for forces far more sympathetic to Mr Putin.
Matteo Salvini, the nationalist League party leader who once wore shirts with Mr Putin’s face on them, and whose popular support and institutional influence has declined over the past two years, suddenly mattered again.
While Five Star may have seemed willing to support the government after provoking the crisis, Mr. Salvini, who has also made huge demands on Mr. Draghi, now had reason to declare the government to allow him to return, without necessarily accepting the blame, on the campaign base on which he excels.
“If a coalition party does not support a government decree, it is enough, enough is enough,” said Mr Salvini on Italian television. “It seems clear that we have to go to the elections.”
He is not the only Italian political force who would welcome Mr Draghi’s departure and the ushering of snap elections.
“With Draghi’s resignation, for the Brothers of Italy, this term of office is over,” said Giorgia Meloni, the far-right leader who has remained in the opposition and has seen her popularity skyrocket over the past year and a half. “This Parliament no longer represents Italians. We will fight to return to the Italian people what the citizens of all other democracies have: the freedom to choose who represents them. Elections immediately.”
The uprising by what remained of the once powerful and anti-establishment Five Star Movement was led by Mr Conte, who has made a habit of demanding concessions from Mr Draghi for his continued support.
He has argued that the government has not set aside enough money for a cost of living package. Five Star — traditionally close to Russia — also opposes sending significant military aid to Ukraine in response to the Russian invasion.
This time it was about an auxiliary bill for skyrocketing energy costs, including an incinerator in Rome that Five Star found unacceptable.
mr. Draghi, after days of seeking a compromise with Mr. Conte, elected to a confidence vote early Thursday in an attempt to persuade Mr. Conte’s bluff. This time, Mr. Conte’s party is on strike.
Although the government survived — by a vote of 172 to 39 — Mr Draghi had made it clear that he would not lead a unity government that had no unity. Convinced that the coalition was no longer tenable, he decided it was time to leave as well.
“For my part, in recent days, I have done my utmost to continue on the common path, even trying to meet the needs expressed by the political parties,” said Mr Draghi in his resignation announcement. , adding that unity was “fundamental in addressing the challenges of recent months. These conditions no longer exist. Thank you for your work, the many results achieved.”
Five Star, whose support has crumbled after a chaotic period running the government and the succession to Mr Draghi, would most likely suffer terribly if Italy held new elections. But as the 2023 election deadline approaches, Five Star also has less to lose, and Mr Draghi’s government is expected to at least face more internal fighting and instability.
It came earlier than expected, although it was not entirely surprising that the threat came from Mr. Conte.
Mr Conte, a lawyer plucked from obscurity by Five Star and the League to lead the government in 2018, is struggling to gain a foothold as the political leader of what’s left of Five Star.
He is still bitter, MPs say, at being sacked as prime minister in 2021 when he was replaced by Mr Draghi, and he is desperate to rebuild a party that has been squandered and half of has lost its support.
The five-star leader who brought him in as prime minister — Luigi Di Maio, the current foreign minister — left the party last month, taking dozens of members with him. mr. Di Maio, a one-time arsonist, is now following in Mr. Draghi and speaks of the importance of NATO and clearly sees its future in the establishment.
Conte struggles to make it clear to his disgruntled supporters that he can live up to their interests. He speaks in legalistic terms, is often inconsistent and has the added headache of constantly trying to appease the party’s often inscrutable founder Beppe Grillo.
“The scenario has changed,” Conte told reporters after failing to reach a compromise during talks with Draghi on Wednesday. “We need another phase.”
Gaia Pianigianic contributed reporting from Siena, Italy.