The bad news: Italian State President Sergio Mattarella has given former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi a mandate to form an Italian government. Draghi accepted, subject to successful negotiations with the political parties. Draghi’s credentials in service for the British Empire go way back to his complicity in the infamous 1992 business meeting off the coast of Italy on the HMS Britannia, where the royal yacht was the venue for plotting against the Italian government. Draghi has since become known as “Mr. Britannia.”
The good news: the M5S said they will never vote for a Draghi executive.
The other bad news: in Italian politics, never say never.
In announcing his decision today, Mattarella called “on all political forces to support a high-profile government, that should not identify with any political formula.“ Unbelievable how a State President liquidates elected representatives in favor of a technocratic solution.
To a superficial observer, Mattarella’s move might look like a predictable one, as the EU lobby has been calling for a Draghi government for a long time now. Indeed, the move is a pretty desperate one. Mattarella hopes that he can blackmail political parties with 1) the interest rate spread; 2) the “EU funds“; 3) the pandemic–-and he hopes he can force Draghi himself to accept a mandate, knowing that Draghi has other plans (namely, to be elected State President next year).
The media and some political parties reacted with orgasmic euphoria to the “Savior of the Euro,“ pushing the narrative that Draghi is respected and even feared at international level and therefore has the best chance to do “whatever it takes“ to defend Italian interests in the EU.
Draghi needs the support of either the M5S or the Lega to get a majority. If he fails, Mattarella said, there will be early elections. The political leader of the M5S, Vito Crimi, said they will never vote for a Draghi executive. However, the M5S is split and in full chaos. Lega leader Matteo Salvini said they are not a priori against a Draghi government, but they will support it only if it agrees to a precise program, which includes tax cuts. The Lega is also split, with a pro-Draghi faction led by number-two Giancarlo Giorgietti.
