Italy's 'Draghi Cabinet' Launch Signal... Major Parties Express Willingness to Cooperate

▲Mario Draghi, Italy's Prime Minister Nominee [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Mario Draghi, former European Central Bank (ECB) president and Italy's designated next prime minister, has completed the first round of party-by-party consultations for cabinet formation, signaling a green light for the launch of the 'Draghi Cabinet.'

Most parties expressed willingness to cooperate with former President Draghi during the consultation process.

However, some view that challenges remain regarding the cabinet's composition and detailed policy plans, so it remains to be seen whether the process will continue smoothly.

On the 6th (local time), former President Draghi met sequentially with the leadership of the anti-establishment party Five Star Movement (M5S), the largest party in parliament, and the right-wing party Lega, which holds second place.

It is reported that Giuseppe Conte, who led the previous coalition government as prime minister, was also included in the Five Star Movement leadership that met with Draghi that day.

After the meetings, both parties expressed their intention to cooperate for national development, setting aside partisan interests.

Notably, the change in stance of the Five Star Movement, a key pillar of the previous coalition and holding about 30% of the total seats in both houses, is worth attention.

The Five Star Movement, which states in its party platform opposition to corrupt established politics and vested interests, had clearly opposed supporting Draghi, a representative economic elite, when he was designated as the next prime minister on the 3rd. However, their attitude has become more progressive over time.

This is interpreted as reflecting the party leadership's recognition that obstructing the formation of a new government amid the social and economic crisis caused by COVID-19 could provoke a strong backlash.

Within the Five Star Movement, concerns also seem to exist that if Draghi's attempt to form a cabinet fails and an early general election is held, the party could fall to a mid-tier position given current party support ratings.

Two former coalition partners, the center-left Democratic Party (PD) and the centrist party Italia Viva (IV), have both officially expressed support for Draghi.

The interim evaluation of the first round of party consultations, held over three days from the 4th, is generally positive toward Draghi.

For example, Forza Italia (FI), led by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and part of the right-wing coalition led by Lega, responded by agreeing to participate in the Draghi cabinet, indicating balanced support from both left and right parties.

The only party officially opposing the Draghi cabinet is the far-right party Brothers of Italy (FdI), part of the right-wing coalition.

Local media reported that on the morning of the 8th, former President Draghi plans to meet with representatives of social and economic organizations such as labor unions and business federations before entering the second round of consultations with political parties.

In the second round, the lineup of ministers to join the cabinet and detailed policy priorities are expected to be discussed concretely. This is regarded as the final hurdle toward the launch of the Draghi cabinet.

It is anticipated that the form of the Draghi cabinet and the outline of participating parties will be revealed here.

Local broadcaster RAI News reported that Draghi is expected to complete all consultations as early as the 9th, report the results to President Sergio Mattarella, who designated him as the next prime minister and authorized him to form the cabinet.

Once the cabinet formation is complete, it will officially launch after confidence votes in both houses of parliament.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.