The World Briefly
July 22, 2022Game Over
Italy
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Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi officially resigned Thursday, plunging the European country into further uncertainty and triggering snap elections in the fall, Bloomberg reported.
Draghi’s decision followed the withdrawal of support by his coalition partners in a confidence vote Wednesday, leading to the collapse of the administration. The former European Central Bank chief, however, will remain in a caretaker role until the next election, essentially making him a lame-duck.
The recent crisis came a week after one coalition partner, the populist Five Star Movement, boycotted a confidence vote on an economic package designed to tackle Italy’s cost-of-living crisis, according to CNN.
Draghi had said that he would quit afterward but President Sergio Mattarella rejected his resignation.
On Wednesday, Draghi said that he no longer had widespread support. His other main coalition partners, the right-wing League and former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia, joined Five Star in abandoning Draghi.
The new elections are slated for Sept. 25.
Opinion polls show that the far-right Brothers of Italy – which was not part of the coalition – would win a snap election. Meanwhile, the Five Star Movement, whose influence has waned since the 2018 elections, is expected to lose seats.
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