After his failed resignation bid, Mario Draghi is ready to stay on as Italian prime minister. In a speech in the Senate on Wednesday, the non-party economist called on the government parties, which have recently been at odds, to stand united behind him and the executive.
A vote of confidence in the smaller of the two chambers of Parliament is scheduled for the evening. If Draghi wins this, he will also have to have his vote of confidence in the larger Chamber of Deputies. The meeting there is scheduled for Thursday.
Draghi had to comment on the current situation because of the government crisis. Head of state Sergio Mattarella had rejected his resignation last Thursday. Draghi submitted this because the co-governing Five Star Movement in the Senate did not vote for him in a vote of confidence. This act is a clear political gesture, Draghi explained in his eagerly awaited speech.
Senate President Maria Elisabetta Casellati adjourned the session after Draghi’s speech. From 11 a.m. the senators wanted to continue with a five-hour general debate. After that, Draghi’s reply was expected in the late afternoon and the call for a vote of confidence in the evening.
In his speech, Draghi explained the goals achieved so far by his government, which has been in office since February 2021 and was created to get the country out of the corona pandemic and the economic crisis. “I’ve never been so proud to be Italian,” said the 74-year-old. However, he demanded: “We need a new pact of trust that is sincere and correct, like the one that has so far allowed us to change the country for the better”.
At the end of his energetic speech, he asked the senators: “Are you ready to restore the trust pact?”
