“I want to announce that this evening I will submit my resignation to the President of the Republic,” Draghi said in a statement. “Today’s votes in Parliament are very important from a political point of view. The majority of the national unity that has supported this government since its creation is no longer there,” he added. However, Italian President Sergio Mattarella rejected Draghi’s resignation, the Italian presidency said in a statement. Instead, Mattarella asked Draghi to address parliament in order to assess the political situation. “The President of the Republic did not accept the resignation and invited the Prime Minister to appear before the Parliament in order to make a communication in order to evaluate the situation that has arisen as a result of the outcome of the meeting held today in the Senate. The Republic could held in the appropriate forum,” the statement said. Draghi was appointed Prime Minister of Italy in 2021 to help the country recover from the Covid-19 crisis. It was seen as a safe pair of hands that could responsibly use European Union funds for the Covid recovery. Draghi previously served as President of the European Central Bank from 2011 to 2019. Upon taking the post, he appointed a cabinet made up of people from a wide range of Italy’s political parties. Draghi previously said he would not lead a government that did not include 5 Star, Italy’s largest party. The populist 5 Star Movement opposed Draghi’s cost-of-living package on the grounds that it did not go far enough, although it threatened to withdraw its long-term support.
