Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi resigned on Thursday after key coalition government allies boycotted a confidence vote, raising the likelihood of a snap election.
Mario Draghi has tendered his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella who rejected a similar resignation offer last week.
Prime Minister Draghi’s national unity government imploded on Wednesday after members of his coalition rejected his call to regroup to complete the term of the legislature and ensure the implementation of the pandemic stimulus package funded by the European Union (EU).
Instead, the centre-right parties of Forza Italia and the League and the populist 5-Star Movement boycotted a vote of confidence in the Senate in a clear sign that they were done with Mario Draghi’s 17-month government.
Italian newspapers on Thursday were united in outrage at the outcome, as Italy grapples with soaring inflation and energy costs, Russia’s war on Ukraine and the ongoing reforms needed to secure the rest of the EU’s 200 billion euro recovery fund.
President Mattarella was due to meet the Speakers of the Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament later on Thursday. These consultations generally precede a public declaration of its intentions.
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