Di Maio: It is "very, very difficult" for Draghi's government to go ahead

The Italian Foreign Minister, Luigi di Maio, considers that "it is very, very difficult" for Mario Draghi's government "to go ahead" and that calling early elections "is not a problem for the parties, but for the country", while assuring that "in Moscow they are toasting" the crisis in the government.

"The Draghi government and the coalition that supported it must go ahead, but right now I see it very, very difficult," said Di Maio in statements to the media about next Wednesday, when Draghi will go to Parliament to announce whether he will continue at the head of the executive after verifying that he has the support of his coalition.

In his opinion, "without an act of maturity and responsibility on the part of the parties in the next few hours, on the part of all the parties that were in the majority", next Wednesday "Italy runs the risk of being left without a government and going to early elections".

Bringing forward the elections "means not completing the PNRR (the National Recovery and Resilience Plan to manage European funds), not approving the second decree of 15 billion against rising energy prices, not being able to continue the battle in Europe over the gas price cap and entering into a provisional administration", he added.

Di Maio also said he was very sorry "to see that in Moscow they were toasting" because they had "served Draghi's head to (Russian president Vladimir) Putin on a silver platter", in reference to the lack of support for the government from one of the most important partners in his coalition, the Five Star Movement (M5S), described by some as pro-Russian.

"Autocracies give and democracies are weaker. Europe is also weaker without this government," the head of Italian diplomacy, a former leader of the M5S, from which he split a few weeks ago, taking 60 parliamentarians with him because of his differences with the current leader of the coalition, former prime minister Giuseppe Conte, told RTL.

The political crisis erupted on Thursday after the M5S decided not to vote for a motion of confidence in the government in the Senate, which led Draghi to submit his resignation, which was rejected by the head of state, Sergio Mattarella.

Draghi will go to Parliament next Wednesday to verify whether he has the necessary support and then communicate whether he is willing to continue at the head of the Executive, the option preferred by almost all the parties in the coalition of "national unity" that supports him, although with considerable reluctance on the part of those on the right and in particular the League of the far-right Matteo Salvini, in favour of calling elections.