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Anger and astonishment in Italy after PM Draghi’s resignation attempt

Italy was reeling on Friday after the president refused to accept Prime Minister Mario Draghi's resignation, making Italy's latest political crisis even more unpredictable.

Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi tried to tender his resignation on Thursday, but was asked by President Sergio Mattarella to stay.
Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi tried to tender his resignation on Thursday, but was asked by President Sergio Mattarella to stay. Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP.

On Friday morning, Italy woke to political turmoil amid an unprecedented government crisis that has put Mario Draghi’s future as prime minister in doubt and raised the spectre of snap elections.

“Draghi resigns, Italy risks chaos,” read a headline in newspaper La Stampa.

Draghi had attempted to resign on Thursday night, following through on his promise to do after losing the support of the Five Star Movement, a major party within his coalition government.

But President Sergio Mattarella, who acts as kingmaker in moments of political crisis, refused to accept the prime minister’s resignation – instead urging Draghi to address parliament next week in an attempt to find a way forward.

READ ALSO: Italy’s president refuses to accept PM Draghi’s resignation

Until then, the government remains in limbo with no clear path forward.

Industry heads said they were “speechless” at the “show of total irresponsibility” by the government.

“We are watching with total incredulity the political developments that clearly ignore the commitments that the government has taken on… with the emergency of the international situation and the lead role the Italian government has in Europe and in NATO,” Carlo Bonomi, president of industrial confederation Confindustria, told news agency Ansa.

European Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said he was following the situation in Italy with “concerned astonishment”.

“When it comes to political developments in Italy, I often talk about rough waters,” former Italian premier Gentiloni told Ansa.

“In these waters made rough by war, high inflation, energy risks and geopolitical tensions, stability has a value in itself.

READ ALSO: Four scenarios: What happens next in Italy’s government crisis?

It remains unclear how the current crisis will play out, with several options from a cabinet reshuffle to snap elections put forward by political analysts.

“We have a very open-ended situation, the pressure is going up, there’s lots of diplomatic work taking place behind the scenes and we still have four days to go,” Policy Sonar analyst Francesco Galietti told AFP.

Although political crises are nothing new in Italy, “this one is unprecedented because geopolitical factors are taking precedent”, Galietti said, citing tensions with Russia over its war in Ukraine. 

Politicians and experts view the possibility of Draghi continuing in his mandate as extremely fraught, even though he technically has the numbers to survive a confidence vote with or without Five Star.

“The Draghi government and the coalition that supported it must continue, but right now I see it as very, very difficult,” former Five Star leader and current Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio told RTL 102.5 radio on Friday.

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TERRORISM

Italy on maximum terror alert over Easter after Moscow attack

Italy was to increase surveillance in busy areas ahead of the Easter holidays and following the bombing of a Moscow concert hall, ministers agreed on Monday.

Italy on maximum terror alert over Easter after Moscow attack

Italy’s national committee for public security, chaired by Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, on Monday said anti-terrorism monitoring in Italy must be strengthened ahead of the Easter holidays, with more surveillance to be carried out at popular tourist spots and at “sensitive sites”.

The committee agreed on “the importance of continuing monitoring activity, including online, by police and intelligence forces for the identification of possible risk situations” in Italy, reported news agency Ansa.

The security meeting was convened following the terrorist attack in Moscow on Friday where armed men opened fire and set the building ablaze, killing at least 133 people.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani had stressed to the public on Sunday that Italy faced “no concrete risk” and said the country’s security and law enforcement services were “always on the alert to prevent any attack.”

“During the Easter holidays you will need to be very careful. We will always do the utmost to ensure the safety of citizens and tourists,” Tajani said, speaking on national broadcaster Rai’s current affairs show Restart.

READ ALSO: Terror alerts: Should I be worried about travelling to Italy?

The fight against terrorism “has nothing to do with the war in Ukraine,” the minister continued.

“We support Ukraine” as an invaded country in which international law has been violated, he said, “but as the Italian government we have expressed our condemnation of the attack [in Moscow] and closeness to the families of the victims and the survivors”.

Cabinet Secretary Alfredo Mantovano said on the same programme that the main terrorist threat Italy faced at the moment was mainly from “lone wolves” and “not so much from organised groups.”

“I believe that a group like the one that acted in the Moscow attack, which must have been trained and had logistical support, would be intercepted sooner in Italy,” he said.

“The most worrying threat” in Italy was online recruitment, he said, noting that propaganda was closely monitored.

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