The president announced the dissolution of the Italian parliament and new elections in the fall. Until then, the country will be governed by the Ministry of Supply, which will take care of “running matters”, writes Petri Burtsoff, a foreign journalist who has followed Italy for a long time.
18:57•Updated 20:16
After consulting the Speakers of the Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament, the President Sergio Mattarella dissolved the Italian Parliament. There is no drama involved; this is what is done every time the government falls.
Mattarella also announced that Italy will hold parliamentary elections in the next 70 days. The Italian constitution stipulates that elections must be held no later than 70 days after the dissolution of parliament.
A little later, Draghi confirmed September 25 as the election day.
Mattarella asked the resigned Prime Minister Mario Draghi to continue leading the executive ministry until the start of the new government.
This may take a long time, because the last time after the 2018 elections, the government was assembled only more than 90 days after the election day.
Dragh is not obliged to agree to this, but he can also appoint someone else to the position.
What makes the situation interesting is that Italy’s economy and society are in a state where strong political leadership is required. It should continue to use EU stimulus money and carry out economic reforms.
How can this be done by the Ministry of Supply, whose powers are limited?
That’s what makes the situation interesting for Finlandthat Draghi’s government had time on July 5 to make a legal initiative on the ratification of Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO membership.
However, the Italian Parliament has not had time to vote on it. Now that the parliament has been dissolved, this matter will probably move to the work list of the next parliament, which will be elected in the autumn elections.
And the parliament will hardly take up the issue until there is a functioning government in Italy, which took more than three months after the last election.
In other words, it is quite possible that the ratification of Finland’s NATO membership will move to next year.
However, this time the government negotiations are expected to be faster. The three right-wing parties, La Lega, Forza Italia and Fratelli d’Italia, have about 60 percent support, according to opinion polls.
They already formed an electoral alliance in the 2018 parliamentary elections, and this is not far-fetched now either.
So Italy will probably be led by a right-wing government next.
But what kind, that’s an interesting question. Both Lega and Fratelli d’Italia are far-right parties that are skeptical of the EU and the common currency, the euro.
They have previously been friends with Hungary Viktor Orban that of Russia Vladimir Putin with, although they have since turned their backs on the latter.