Mario Draghi secured the preliminary support of two key parties on Saturday to form a new government that will decide how to spend more than 200 billion euros (175 billion pounds) on European Union funds to help relaunch the shattered economy. the Italian pandemic.
The populist 5 Star Movement and the right-wing League supported a government led by Draghi, saying they were willing to put aside bitter rivalries for the good of the country and increase the potential for a broad-based government of national unity. .
Draghi, 73, a former president of the European Central Bank, completed a first round of talks with political parties this week. Another round is expected early next week on possible cabinet ministers and a Draghi synthesis of his vision for the new government. It is also expected to meet with unions, business lobbies and other members of civil society.
The Italian president called on Draghi this week to form a government following the resignation of former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who lost the support of a small but key coalition party. Earlier on Saturday, Draghi had lined up support from the Democratic Party, former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia, former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s Italy Live and the small Free and Equal party.
After their meetings with Draghi, the leader of the 5-Star Movement, Vito Crimi, and the leader of the League, Matteo Salvini, spoke of acting in the interests of Italy, the first Western nation to suffer hard from coronavirus. . With the accounting of the economic consequences of the pandemic, they both acknowledged that they would have to put aside political rivalries and betrayals to do so.
“We will not forget the acts committed by some political forces, which are present in our memories and in our political committees,” Crimi said, in what appeared to be a reference to Renzi who drew Italy Alive’s support from the Conte’s governing coalition and caused its collapse.
Similarly, Salvini, a former interior minister in Conte’s first government, said he would sit next to politicians who voted to lift his parliamentary immunity so he could be tried in Sicily for not allowing ships to disembark. of rescuing migrants in Italy when he was minister. .
“We are ready to overcome everything in the interest of the country,” said Crime on the 5-Star Movement, which won more votes in the last parliamentary elections in 2018 and a key element of the two governments of the Tale, the first with the right League and the second with the left-wing democratic party.
Salvini’s move to support Draghi puts him at odds with the far-right party Brothers of Italy and its leader, Giorgia Meloni. He said Friday he would remain in opposition. Salvini cited the weight of EU recovery funds needed to relaunch the Italian economy after a national blockade and subsequent public health restrictions.
“I’d rather be in the room where it’s decided whether the money is used well or not, rather than being outside,” he said.
Crimi said Italy would be judged by its European partners on how it spends considerable funds and the 5 stars want to ensure the money will be distributed “with honesty, transparency and in the sole interest of the well-being of citizens”.
“The world is watching us and will judge if the country has changed,” Crimi said.
Italian host Emma Bonino, who was previously an EU commissioner, said she hoped that bringing together parties from such a broad political spectrum would not dissolve into fights.
“What we don’t want is for this to translate into itself in this, not in this, I can’t sit with him,” he told SKY TG24. “The priorities must be to complete the vaccination program, because without it the economy cannot be relaunched and the EU funds plan reformed or rewritten.”