London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Mario Draghi resigns as Italian PM

Mario Draghi resigns as Italian PM

Early elections will be held on September 25.

Mario Draghi has resigned as Italian prime minister, throwing the country into months of turmoil and weakening Europe’s leadership at a critical time.

President Sergio Mattarella’s office announced the news on Thursday morning after the two men met at the presidential palace. Draghi’s decision to quit came after he failed to win the support of his coalition partners in a vote of confidence in parliament. Early elections are now due to be held on September 25.

In emotional scenes in parliament on Thursday morning, Draghi told the Lower House he was going to hand in his resignation. He was met with extended applause from some in the chamber, who rose to their feet. “Thanks,” he said in response. “Even central bankers have a heart.”

The departure of 74 year-old Draghi, a former president of the European Central Bank, deprives Italy of an authoritative leader on the threshold of an unprecedented energy and cost-of-living crisis, and with a war on Europe’s doorstep.

It marks the culmination of weeks of tensions within Italy’s fractious coalition, which Draghi had tried to run as a government of national unity. After losing the support of the populist 5Star Movement last week, on Wednesday the prime minister lost the backing of the right-wing parties in his alliance – Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia and Matteo Salvini’s League.

He is expected to stay on in a caretaker role until a new government is formed after the elections in September. The right-wing parties are expected to win that vote and take power as part of a coalition with the national-conservative opposition, Brothers of Italy. But it could take months after the results are known before the new administration is assembled.

The favorite to take over as prime minister will be Georgia Meloni, leader of the Brothers of Italy party, who welcomed the prospect of new elections. “With Draghi’s resignation this legislature is over for Brothers of Italy,” she wrote on Twitter. “We will fight to give back to the Italian people what citizens of all other democracies have: the freedom to choose who represents them.”

Draghi’s exit robs the EU of one of its most experienced leaders and a giant of European economics at a hugely difficult time for the bloc.

Markets reacted badly to the news, with Italian stocks falling and bond yields – a measure of risk in lending to the government – rising. The collapse of Draghi’s coalition will also complicate the ECB’s decision making on Thursday, when the bank is expected to announce a rate rise and a new “tool” designed to stabilize eurozone government debt.

With a war and an energy crisis adding to fears of a European recession, the absence of Draghi’s expertise from the EU’s top table will also be a blow to the bloc’s leadership, just when it is most needed.

President Mattarella had asked Draghi to verify his majority in Parliament after tensions within the coalition culminated in the populist 5Star Movement boycotting a confidence vote last week.

Draghi technically won a new confidence vote in the Senate on Wednesday, but three of the parties in his grand coalition abstained or were absent for the vote, rendering his victory meaningless.

Many politicians in Italy and outside had wanted Draghi to stay.

Families’ minister Elena Bonetti said the applause that he received in the chamber was “emotional” and “was evidence of the institutions that believed wholeheartedly in his government.” She called the actions of the parties that had abandoned Draghi “unexpected and unjustified” – particularly from the moderate right, which “allowed populism and nationalism to triumph over the interests of the Italian people.”

Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio wrote on Twitter that the crisis was “a black page” in Italy’s national narrative, accusing his former coalition partners of “playing games with the future of the Italian people. The effects of this tragic choice will remain in our history.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×