Italy’s government collapsed on Wednesday when Mario Draghi’s three prime ministers rejected a vote they had called to end the conflict and reform the union.
Draghi won the upper house vote 95-38, but most senators were absent, leaving his 18-month rule in limbo with early elections in September or October.
The right-wing Forza Italia and Liiga parties did not participate in the vote. They were joined by the populist 5 Star Movement, which also refused to vote after a similar refusal sparked a political crisis in Italy last week.
Draghi resigned last week, but President Sergio Mattarella overruled him and ordered him to go before parliament to see if he could revive the union.
Draghi has previously called for cooperation and outlined the problems facing Italy, from the war in Ukraine to social inequality and inflation.
“The only way we want to live together is to rebuild this agreement with courage, commitment, and honesty,” Draghi said in an impassioned speech in the Senate, adding that many Italians wanted the union to last until the election. next year
The crisis comes at a difficult time for debt-ridden Italy, the eurozone’s third-largest economy, where borrowing costs have risen sharply as the European Central Bank begins to tighten monetary policy.
European Economic Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said on Twitter that recklessness against Draghi could lead to a “perfect storm” and a “tough month” for Italy.
The leader of Italy’s second coalition party, the center-left Democratic Party (PD), said parliament had acted against the will of the people.
“Italians show that they are smarter than politicians at the ballot box,” PD head Enrico Letta wrote on Twitter.