Draghi seduces eurosceptics in Italy

The 5 Star Movement (M5S) broke down the door of the Roman palaces in March 2018. It won the elections with 33% of the votes and an anti-system, Eurosceptic and very belligerent discourse with the financial system.

Its founder, the comedian Beppe Grillo, scourge of that establishment world whom he pointed out so many times as the cause of all Italian evils, sat down yesterday before the man who best represented that universe during that period.

Only three years later, the grillinos, an experiment unparalleled in Europe, have become a force for stability one step away from handing over their electoral spoils, won on the street, to former ECB President Mario Draghi for the good of Italy.

The same is happening to Matteo Salvini's League.

A politician who until recently was used to taking the stage at his rallies wearing a T-shirt that called for the abolition of the single currency and that yesterday, in a conciliatory tone, showed his "harmony" with the person who saved the euro with that

whatever it takes

of 2012. Draghi has achieved in a few hours what nobody could imagine a few months ago and has opened Italian politics to a paradigm shift.

The fierce populists of a few years ago presented themselves yesterday like little lambs before the most prestigious man in Italy.

Nobody wants to be outside the Executive now, which will be in charge of distributing 209,000 million euros in aid - between loans and non-refundable capital - from the EU to rebuild the country in exchange for reforms.

If his support is consolidated over the next week, when the consultations continue, Draghi will have the Unity Executive he is looking for.

Only Giorgia Meloni, from the Brothers of Italy, has closed the door to him so far.

The formation founded by Grillo, which declined to comment after the meeting, had a long meeting with Draghi.

After the debate, it was willing to support the new Executive, provided that some of its founding ideas are respected, such as environmental policies, and citizen income is not "weakened".

No obstacle that, a priori, the banker cannot overcome.

The problem is that the M5S must convince a large part of its divided militancy.

The League was the first to hear about Draghi's plan, which even in Frankfurt did not enjoy similar support.

The leader of the far-right formation did not know him.

They had met once at an airport: a "hello and goodbye," Salvini admitted.

But this second meeting could not go better.

An unrecognizable Salvini left the meeting delighted and announced that he will not put conditions on support.

“We have had half an hour of debate on the idea of ​​Italy, which in many ways coincides.

We are happy that development, growth, public works are at the center of the discussion, which is what Italy needs to start over ”, he said.

Old allies

Salvini, lately interested in replacing Forza Italia within the European People's Party, has been lowering his tone for days.

No sign of old allies like the French Le Pen or the Dutch Wilders.

To justify his swerve, he dedicated himself to invoking figures such as De Gasperi or De Gaulle.

If he enters the Executive, he said, he will do so "without conditions."

“Others say they do not want to go with the League in the same government.

We do not put conditions of people, ideas or movements.

The good of the country must overcome the personnel and the parties ”, he pointed out.

The big change in the roadmap has multiple parents.

The bosses press the League.

Giancarlo Giorgetti, the most experienced man in his party, a hinge between the League and the business world and leader of the most centrist wing of the formation, is the one who maintained close contact with Draghi.

He has convinced Salvini to enter into a historic operation to form a unity government among forces that have been savagely skinned until a few hours ago.

And it will probably be Giorgetti who will capitalize on that support with a ministry in the new Executive.

The problem of having the League in the super coalition will be for the parties that continue to impose vetoes.

The political toad is difficult to digest for the M5S, the Democratic and Free and Equal Party, the formation farthest to the left of the old government majority, which has already slipped that it will not be together with the leader of the League in an Executive.

But Draghi already warned the Social Democrats on Friday of his intention when they began to quibble.

“I appreciate the frankness, but I make the synthesis.

Then, of course, you can say what you think and rate it, "he said yesterday in

La Repubblica.

No one doubts that Draghi will have to build a hybrid government, between technical and political. At least, it is hoped, it will reserve a portfolio for each of the forces involved in the new device. But there will be many positions marked in red for technical profiles that you know well, especially in areas like Interior or Economy. Names such as former IMF director Carlo Cottarelli or Lucrezia Reichlin are spoken of again for the Executive's safe. From the former president of the Constitutional Court Marta Cartabia, for Justice. And of some names that could repeat, such as the official Luciana Lamorgese in Interior. The team's design, however, won't be finalized until next week. Draghi wants to have everything well tied up. At the moment, it seems that he has achieved the most difficult.