Italy’s ‘Super Mario’ Draghi clears final hurdle to form government
- Mario Draghi was tapped to take the helm of Italy’s politics after the last government collapsed
- Former European Central Bank chief pledged a faster vaccination campaign, ambitious reform plan
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi secured final parliamentary approval for his government of national unity, allowing him to focus on his country’s unprecedented health and economic crisis.
The lower house, the Chamber of Deputies, on Thursday backed the former European Central Bank (ECB) chief and his mixed cabinet team of technocrats and politicians with 535 votes in favour, 56 against and five abstentions.
Given that nearly all parties have lined up behind the new executive, the near-unanimous result was not a surprise. On Wednesday, Draghi overwhelmingly won a first vote of confidence in the Senate, the upper chamber, by a 262-40 margin, with two abstentions.
Italy’s new leader is taking over at a particularly difficult time, as the coronavirus pandemic has killed almost 100,000 people and sent the euro zone’s third-largest economy plunging by a record 8.9 per cent last year.
“There has never been in my long professional life a moment of such intense emotion and so much responsibility,” the 73-year-old economist said in his inaugural speech at the Senate.
He pledged to use “all means” to fight the pandemic, starting with a faster vaccination programme. He also sketched out an ambitious reform plan, in line with European Union expectations.