Italian political parties prepare for the call for early elections

Draghi's resignation has precipitated the rupture

ROMA, 16 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Italian political parties are already preparing for the possible call for early elections, although they continue to try to convince Prime Minister Mario Draghi to reverse his decision to resign.

Various party sources have confirmed that preparations have been launched for a possible electoral contest to be held on September 25, according to the leader of the Democratic Party, Enrico Letta, one of the main defenders of Draghi's continuity.

The next milestone in this complex political process will be on Wednesday, when Draghi will appear before Parliament at the request of the president, Sergio Mattarella, who has rejected his resignation.

Internationally, the timing is also troubling, with the war in Ukraine and a possible Russian natural gas cutoff accelerating the prospects of a global economic crisis.

The polls are led by the Brothers of Italy, a conservative formation led by Giorgia Meloni that does not support the concentration government headed by Draghi.

The current crisis has been unleashed by Giuseppe Conte's Five Star Movement, who refused to support a government aid bill because he considered it insufficient. Draghi has stated that he will not continue in office if this formation does not back down and support him.

In this situation, the conservative Forza Italia party seems to have assumed that there will be elections, since Antonio Tajani, its leader, has summoned Draghi to remain as prime minister even if the M5S. The far-right League of Matteo Salvini completes the political picture.

The second party with the most votes in the last elections, only behind the League, the M5S, is divided between those who are committed to the continuity of Draghi and those who prefer the rupture to try to revive the electoral options of the formation.

Former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has assured in an interview published this Saturday by 'Il Messagero' that he is working "day and night to form a new government headed by Draghi".

"With a war, inflation and the tightening of the European Central Bank's monetary policy, if a party leaves the government it will cause great damage to the country," warned university professor Veronica De Romanis, who therefore does not rule out a recomposition of the coalition supporting Draghi. "Draghi will not leave because he would be on the wrong side," she opined.