Europe

Italian government’s unity threatened by split over vote for next president

League leader Salvini’s backing of Casellati in defiance of his coalition partners could herald the end of Draghi’s government

Maria Elisabetta Casellati looks on during the counting of the ballots at the Lower House (Chamber of Deputies), in Rome. A simple majority of more than 1,000 lawmakers and other representatives is needed to elect a successor to president Mattarella, whose seven-year term is ending. Photograph: Roberto Monaldo/EPA/

Amy Kazmin and Davide Ghiglione in Rome
Fri Jan 28 2022 - 19:43

Italy's fragile national unity government came under severe strain on Friday as its right-wing members tried to push for their own candidate as the country's next president, over the objections of leftist parties who want the post to go to prime minister Mario Draghi.

Matteo Salvini, leader of the right-wing League, called on right-wing parties to throw their support behind Senate president Elisabetta Casellati, a member of Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia.

Mr Salvini said Ms Casellati, a lawyer known for her conservative Catholic views including firm opposition to abortion and IVF, was "the best possible" candidate for president after incumbent Sergio Mattarella, who has repeatedly stressed his unwillingness to serve a second term.

Mr Salvini’s endorsement of Ms Casellati – who leftist parties have openly rejected – came as more than 1,000 lawmakers and other representatives cast secret ballots in a complex presidential election process.

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The Democratic Party, the Five Star Movement, and the small LEU – which together have 407 of the electors choosing the next president – issued a joint statement calling Mr Salvini's "unilateral nomination ... a serious mistake".

Friday’s morning round of voting was the fifth since the election process began on Monday. Ms Casellati won 382 votes, short of the 505 needed for victory. More than 406 electors abstained. A second round of voting is scheduled for Friday evening, with two more on Saturday if no winner emerges.

Analysts said the result highlighted the deep internal divisions within the right and made it unlikely that Ms Casellati could be propelled to victory.

Wolfango Piccoli, of political risk advisory group Teneo, said Mr Salvini's push for Casellati in defiance of his coalition partners could have spelt the end of Draghi's government.

If Italy’s president was elected in “such a partisan way, at that point, the ruling coalition is over”, Mr Piccoli said. “There is no way Draghi can pretend everything is fine and move on . . . It’s game over for the government.”

Mr Draghi, a former European Central Bank president, was chosen as prime minister a year ago to lead Italy through a serious economic and health crisis.

Since then, his national unity government has endorsed an ambitious reform programme, backed by €200 billion in funding, to reboot the chronically underperforming economy.

Many Italians believe Mr Draghi’s career in public service and strong international reputation makes him a strong candidate to serve as president, a position from which he could exercise some oversight of Italy’s notoriously fractious politics for the next seven years.

But political parties have not swung behind his election, partly because they are wary of sparking early elections, if they cannot agree a candidate to succeed Mr Draghi as prime minister. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2022

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