Italy’s president looks to former European bank chief Mario Draghi to end political crisis
- Draghi is credited with having saved the euro during Europe’s debt crisis
- He said he accepted the mandate knowing that Italy faces the challenges of Covid-19 and an economic recession
Italian President Sergio Mattarella met Draghi, who is credited with having saved the euro during Europe’s debt crisis, and gave him a mandate to try to form a new government to replace caretaker Premier Giuseppe Conte’s coalition of the 5-Star Movement and Democratic Party.
Draghi told reporters he accepted the mandate knowing that Italy faces the multiple challenges of a health care crisis, a national vaccination campaign and an economic recession and at the same time will have “extraordinary” resources from the European Union to try to help the economy relaunch.
“It’s a difficult moment,” Draghi, 73, said. Appealing for unity from Italy’s squabbling political forces, he added: “We have the chance to do a lot for our country.”
Conte was forced to resign last month after ex-Premier Matteo Renzi pulled ministers of his small, centrist Italy Alive party from Conte’s government. Renzi, whose nickname is “il rottamatore,” or “the demolisher,” complained among other things about Conte’s plan to spend more than €200 billion (US$240 billion) in EU pandemic recovery funds and loans.
