“Seven more years.” Poor Mattarella ”. The day following the re-election in Italy of Sicilian judge Sergio Mattarellaat the head of the country, comments have multiplied on Italian social networks. With 759 votes, the outgoing president won 77% of the vote in the eighth ballot. After an intense first term, shaken by several government crises and a pandemic, the 80-year-old head of state did not hide his desire to retire.
Save the ruling coalition
The parties of Mario Draghi’s coalition government have failed to agree on an alternative candidacy in the first seven rounds of voting held since January 24 and have therefore turned to the Italian jurist to save the executive from the implosion. Mario Draghi was a big favorite before the election, but parliamentarians feared that his departure from the presidency of the council would explode the coalition and cause early elections before the end of the legislature scheduled for 2023.
The election to the presidency of the former head of the European Central Bank would also have weakened the recovery of the third largest economy in the euro zone and the implementation of the reforms necessary to benefit from the tens of billions of euros of the European recovery plan relaunch. The extension of Sergio Mattarella’s mandate and keeping Mario Draghi at the head of the government meet the expectations of the financial markets and guarantee the injection of European funds and the planned investments. “There is this somewhat miraculous vision that he is the only one capable of managing the 200 billion of the European recovery plan”, explains historian and political scientist Giovanni Orsina.
With the exception of Fratelli d’Italia (neo-fascist) and a few snipers, all parties were behind the option of a re-run of the Mattarella-Draghi duo. Members of the fragile governing coalition led by Mario Draghi since January 2021, the League and the 5-star (populist) Movement welcomed the agreement reached on Sergio Mattarella. Their strongmen, Matteo Salvini and Luigi Di Maio, were careful not to mention that they had spit on him in the past.
Mario Draghi in a strong position despite his failure
Mario Draghi’s failure to win cross-party support is a blow to his stature, but his decision to be part of the solution might help him regain his authority. ” It is undoubtedly a political defeat for Mario Draghi, even if he still has a few tricks up his sleeve. analyzes Marc Lazar, professor at Sciences Po. He must now expect a lot of tension with parties that have the firm intention of marking their difference, between now and the 2023 elections. At the same time, Mario Draghi remains in a position of strength, faced with the inconsistencies of Matteo Salvini , the right-wing coalition and the 5 Star Movement. He should easily obtain assurances that his government will not be endangered.by the ballot ».