Despite the 5-star boycott, Draghi’s measures went from 172 to 39. However, it left the government at real risk of collapse and could lead to early elections.
“I want to announce that this evening I will present my resignation to the President of the Republic,” Draghi said in a statement.
“Today’s votes in Parliament are very significant from a political point of view. The majority of national unity that has supported this government since its inception is no longer there,” he added.
But Italian President Sergio Mattarella has rejected Draghi’s resignation, the Italian presidency said in a statement. Instead, Mattarella asked Draghi to go to parliament to assess the political situation.
“The President of the Republic did not accept the resignation and invited the President of the Government to appear before Parliament to make communications, so that an assessment is made of the situation that has occurred as a result of the session held today. in the Senate of the Republic. The Republic could be held in its proper forum, “the statement said.
Draghi was appointed prime minister of Italy in 2021 to help the country recover from the Covid-19 crisis. It was seen as a safe pair of hands that could responsibly use Covid’s EU recovery funds. Draghi had previously served as president of the European Central Bank from 2011 to 2019. Upon taking office, he appointed a cabinet made up of people from a wide range of Italian political parties.
Draghi had previously said he would not lead a government that did not include 5-Star, the largest party in Italy. The 5-star populist movement opposed Draghi’s cost-of-living package because it didn’t go far enough, even though it had long threatened to withdraw its support.