Italy looks at the blockade in the election of president and already contemplates asking Mattarella to repeat

The blockade at the end of the fourth day of voting to elect the new president of the Republic of Italy is total.

There is no clear name and every time you try to gather some consensus around a figure, it ends up burned in the corridors of Parliament or in the vote itself.

On Thursday it was the turn of the former president of the Chamber of Deputies, Pier Ferdinando Casini, who entered the conclave as pope, and left again as cardinal.

The Parliament insists on voting for the current president Sergio Mattarella, who for the fourth consecutive day and in a sterile vote was once again the name with the most support (166 ballots).

He and Draghi continue to be the candidates with the best chance, but Friday's session could be decisive and consecrate one of the underdogs.

The current head of state has said in every possible way that he does not want to repeat himself.

But his entourage always admitted that if the situation was critical, he might think about it.

The risk premium continues to rise daily and the feeling of blockade is once again taking over the Italian political climate.

Mattarella would allow maintaining the unusual stability that Italy has enjoyed in the last year.

“It is a sign that must be taken into consideration.

It is no coincidence”, points out a relevant deputy of the 5 Star Movement.

“It is the name in which everything will end if Draghi fails to offer a convincing Executive project to go to the Quirinal”, insists a colleague of his from the Democratic Party.

Draghi continues to be the figure with the greatest prestige, neutrality and capacity for the role of President of the Republic. No one denies it. But the Prime Minister must first offer a solution to the Executive he presides over, starting with the name of his substitute in case he moves to the Quirinal Palace. A movement that should satisfy all the parties of the majority of the Government, but very complicated with such little time. Not to mention how inappropriate it could be that he did it already with one foot in the head of state.

A part of the Parliament and of the always devilish currents of the formations, moreover, refuses to accept that Draghi, a single man without a party structure, is the inevitable destiny of the Quirinal Palace. Until now, the prime minister has functioned politically as the principle of gravity: his weight and resume placed him where he really belonged. But now the banker is completely at the mercy of the parties and will need to do some work on his supports. Something that, somehow, could already be seen on Thursday.

One of the main opponents to the idea that Draghi ends up in the Quirinal has been Silvio Berlusconi, who is currently admitted to the San Raffaele hospital in Milan. Il Cavaliere gave up running, but left his political epitaph written: Draghi must finish the legislature as prime minister. Yesterday, after several failed attempts by the former ECB president's team to contact him, he picked up the phone from his hospital room. The call was officially to wish him a speedy recovery. But it could have helped to unblock the situation. If Berlusconi changed his mind, Draghi would have a much easier time.

The right is still very divided.

Salvini tries to set himself up as the leader of the coalition, but Giorgia Meloni mistrusts and would no longer even take a dim view of choosing Draghi.

On Thursday, to avoid re-enacting that fracture as it had happened the day before, parliamentarians from the right and extreme right were forced to abstain and not cast a blank vote, which during the rest of the days became a territory subscriber for the so-called snipers (those who do not respect party orders).

In this way, the direction of their vote can be controlled - the president of the Chamber of Deputies calls them by name and they must publicly say that they are abstaining - and they reach the decisive day on Friday (fifth vote) somewhat more cohesive.

On Friday, beyond the possibility of the attempt to boost Draghi, other letters could be uncovered, such as that of the current head of the Italian Secret Services, Elisabetta Belloni.

A career diplomat, she knows the institutions – also the less visible part of it, that is the problem for some – and she is a person of great confidence of Draghi.

In fact, there was also talk of her as a possible Secretary of the Presidency of the Republic if the former head of the ECB ended up changing offices.

A new name that, once again, leads back to the current prime minister.

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