After Italian prime minister Mario Draghi’s second and conclusive resignation this week, the conservative Il Tempo newspaper’s front page carried the headline: “Draghi’s suicide”. But rival title La Stampa depicted him as the victim of a political murder, declaring his government had been “drowned”.
Just who is responsible for the fall of the highly respected former European Central Bank chief, feted for his role in saving the single currency in the eurozone crisis of 2012, is the subject of bitter debate among Italy’s politicians as they seek to deflect a wave of public anger over the collapse of the ruling coalition.
Opinion polls last week showed Italians overwhelmingly wanted Draghi to stay in office to steer Italy through its economic and geopolitical challenges rather than going to the polls early.