Vita gazette – Prime Minister Mario Draghi gave the message that he could continue with the renewed coalition government as expected. Stating that he will continue his duty as prime minister if the coalition member parties support him, Draghi said, “Italy is strong when it knows how to unite. The country needs a government that can act effectively and quickly on four fronts”.

In the vote of confidence in the upper house of the parliament, Prime Minister Draghi received a vote of confidence with 38 votes to 95.

For a while, Russia-Ukraine policy and arms aids were causing trouble for the M5s party led by government partner Giuseppe Conte. Foreign Minister Luigi di Maio, from the 5-star movement acting together with Prime Minister Draghi, founded a new party with some deputies who left the party, citing Conte’s objections. The M5S party vetoed the aid package confidence vote last week on the grounds of “insufficient amount”. Even without the support of the 5 Star Movement, the government received a vote of confidence, but Draghi decided to resign on the grounds that “the national unity structure of the government has disappeared”. However, President Sergio Mattarella did not accept the resignation and directed Prime Minister Draghi to the parliament to assess the situation.

In his speech in the Senate today, Prime Minister Draghi stated that last Thursday’s vote proved that the trust agreement that held this majority together has come to an end. Recalling that he was appointed prime minister by President Mattarella, Draghi said, “I believe that a prime minister who has not appeared before the electorate should have as wide support as possible in the parliament. In these months, the national unity structure has been the biggest guarantee of the democratic legitimacy and effectiveness of this government. The national unity structure was broken when the coalition partner, the 5 Star Movement, did not vote in last week’s no-confidence vote. The only solution to move on from now on is to rebuild this agreement from scratch,” he said.

Recalling the calls for the government to stay in office, Draghi said, “It’s the Italians who want it.” And he stated that he was particularly impressed by the support given to him by nearly 2000 mayors and health personnel. “This demand for stability forces us all to decide whether it is possible to create the conditions in which the government can actually do its job. This is at the heart of our discussions today,” said Draghi, ending his speech by saying: “Italy needs a new sincere and concrete trust agreement. The parties and you parliamentarians: are you ready to rebuild this pact? You must answer these questions not to me, but to all Italians.”

The answer he was waiting for came in a vote in the Senate. In the vote, which was boycotted by M5S, Northern League Party and Forza Italia Party, Prime Minister Draghi received a vote of confidence with 38 votes to 95.