The Italian President Sergio Mattarella signed a decree for the formation of a government led by Mario Draghi.
A representative from the National News Agency has reported that President Sergio Mattarella signed the decree this evening for the government headed by Mario Draghi. The Prime Minister, after a 45-minute meeting with the President, announced the names of the ministers. The new ministers will take their oath tomorrow at 1 PM Beirut time. The new government will seek confidence votes on Tuesday and Wednesday in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Draghi's government, which includes both technocrats and politicians, brings together a wide range of political forces, from the center-left to the far-right. The leader of the "5 Star Movement" retains the Foreign Ministry, while Giancarlo Giorgetti, a senior figure in the right-wing League party, is appointed Minister of Industry, and a representative from the Democratic Party serves as Minister of Labor. The technocrat Luciana Lamorgese will continue as Minister of the Interior, and Daniele Franco, the second-highest official in the Bank of Italy, will take over the Ministry of Economy. The new government is expected to take the oath at the presidential palace on Saturday.
President Sergio Mattarella tasked Mario Draghi with forming a new government on February 3, following the collapse of the ruling coalition and the failure of political forces to form a new majority. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte submitted his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella on Tuesday (January 26, 2021), in an attempt to form a new government with a stronger majority. The Italian presidency stated at the time that Mattarella accepted the resignation and "retains the right to make a decision about what to do next" and called on the government to continue to handle ongoing affairs until a new government is formed. Mattarella also mentioned that he would begin a new round of consultations with party leaders to explore the way forward on Wednesday afternoon, expected to last until Thursday.
Conte (65 years old) hopes to receive a mandate from President Mattarella, which would be his third since 2018, in an attempt to form a new government, according to Italian media reports. The political crisis began when former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi (2014-2016) withdrew his small party "Italia Viva" from the ruling coalition on January 13, after criticizing for weeks the handling of the health crisis and Conte's economic spending plans.
"Iitalia Viva" has been part of the government since summer 2019 along with the Democratic Party (center-left) and the 5 Star Movement (populist), with support from smaller parties in parliament. Conte was engaged in tense negotiations behind the scenes, hoping to attract independent or breakaway parliamentarians to remain in power with a cabinet reshuffle. However, he failed in his efforts and was forced to resign, hoping that the President would trust him again and task him with forming a government.
