Instability may follow if the country’s technocrat prime minister leaves his post to become the next president. But sooner or later democracy must be resumed
No Italian has ever voted for Mario Draghi in an election, but given the opportunity it seems that many might choose to do so. Recent polls indicate that Italy’s technocrat prime minister, appointed last February by the country’s president, Sergio Mattarella, basks in stellar approval ratings of about 65%. As honeymoon periods go, this one has justified the “Super Mario” hype that accompanied Mr Draghi’s installation.
The explanation for his success lies in the unaccustomed sense of stability and calm that the former head of the European Central Bank has delivered. Since taking office, following the mid-Covid implosion of a centre-left coalition government, Mr Draghi has presided with authority over a unity administration that involves every party apart from the far-right Brothers of Italy. Rome’s Covid recovery plan is being enthusiastically funded by the European Commission, whose officials see the prime minister as a safe pair of hands, and Italy’s handling of the pandemic on Mr Draghi’s watch has been assured. In comparison to France, where far-right demagoguery is setting the tone in the presidential race, or Britain, where the public has been scandalised by the behaviour in Boris Johnson’s Downing Street, Italian politics has distinguished itself in 2021 by being reassuringly, unusually dull.
