ROME: Prime minister designate Mario Draghi is holding formal consultations with Italy’s parties until Saturday in an attempt to find enough backing in parliament to form a government.
Italian markets have rallied on the expectation the former European Central Bank chief will be successful and can announce a cabinet by next week.
However, only two significant parties have so far committed to backing Draghi. Here are the parties’ positions as set out so far.
5-STAR MOVEMENT
5-Star, the largest party in parliament, is close to outgoing premier Giuseppe Conte. It strongly backed him to remain in office and said it would not support any other potential prime minister. In the past it has also said it would not form a majority with Forza Italia, the party of former premier Silvio Berlusconi, a sworn political enemy. Moreover many members of 5-Star, with its origins as an anti-austerity, anti-establishment movement, have trouble with the idea of backing a government led by a former ECB president.
DEMOCRATIC PARTY (PD)
The centre-left PD said late on Thursday that it would back Draghi.
THE LEAGUE
Matteo Salvini’s party, the second largest in parliament, would find it hard to join a coalition with the PD. Salvini said on Thursday it would also not back Draghi if he were supported by 5-Star. On a policy level, many League politicians and voters are eurosceptic and would baulk at the idea of supporting a former ECB chief. Barring surprises, the best Draghi can hope for from the League would be an abstention in the confidence votes needed to launch his government.
FORZA ITALIA
The conservative party of four-times prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, the fourth largest group in parliament, has made clear it would like to back Draghi, but in doing so it would strain its alliance with its rightist partners the League and Brothers of Italy.
BROTHERS OF ITALY
The far-right, eurosceptic party has ruled out backing a Draghi government. However, its leader Giorgia Meloni has said it would consider abstaining if that were the joint position taken by its allies the League and Forza Italia.
ITALIA VIVA
Former premier Matteo Renzi’s small centrist party, which triggered Conte’s downfall by quitting the ruling coalition, has pledged its support to a Draghi government.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here
Comments
0 comment