Italy’s president accepts resignation of PM Draghi

ROME — Italian President Sergio Mattarella accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Mario Draghi after a weeklong attempt to unite his unravelling coalition failed.

The president’s office said on Thursday that Draghi’s government would remain in place for the time being to handle current business.

Before meeting Mattarella, Draghi told lawmakers that he saw no possibility of continuing to govern after failing to receive broad backing in a Senate confidence vote on Wednesday night.

The first crushing blow to Draghi’s coalition came when one of his coalition member, the left-wing populist Five Star Movement (M5S), refused back the government in a key vote last week.

Draghi, who is himself politically independent, had offered to resign then, but Mattarella had rejected the resignation in the hope that Draghi could revive his coalition.

On Wednesday, however, Draghi fell well short of the broad support he wanted in a confidence vote in the senate.

Although the 74-yearold won the vote with 95 votes in favor to 39 against, three of his coalition partners - the rightwing populist Lega, conservative Forza Italia, and the left-wing populist Five Star Movement (M5S) did not take part in the vote.

The former president of the European Central Bank, who is credited with saving the euro in 2012, has helmed a broad coalition in the eurozone’s third-largest economy since February 2021.

Parties that do not usually cooperate had joined forces in order to guide the country through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Draghi himself is a respected figure in Italian politics, and his address to parliament on Thursday was preceded by long applause, with many parliamentarians giving a standing ovation.

In response to the resignation, Renato Brunetta, the minister for public administration, announced he has left his Forza Italia party.