Italian prime minister Mario Draghi’s government was unravelling on Wednesday evening as members of his national unity coalition walked out of parliament ahead of a vote of confidence in his leadership.
Matteo Salvini’s rightwing League, Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia and the populist Five Star Movement said they would boycott the vote, saying Draghi had failed to give the Italian public adequate answers to pressing questions.
Draghi is expected to submit his resignation again to president Sergio Mattarella, which could trigger early elections and exacerbate a political crisis. This followed his previous offer to resign last week, which was rejected.