Draghi’s government had won a confidence vote in parliament earlier in the day, but coalition party Five Star Movement declined to participate. Draghi had said beforehand that he would not lead a government without the support of the Five Star Movement, which until recently was the largest party in parliament. “The coalition of national unity that supported this government no longer exists,” he said.
The vote included a multi-billion dollar package that should make high energy prices and inflation more bearable for the population. Former Prime Minister Guiseppe Conte’s Five Star Movement said the plan was insufficient, adding that the party was not about trust in the government.
Elections are likely to be held in the fall. They were scheduled for next year.
Draghi, the former president of the European Central Bank, came to power last February and was the sixth prime minister in Italy in the past ten years.