Update of 21 July. Mario Draghi, upon going to the Quirinale, formally reiterated his resignation as Prime Minister. The day before, 20 July, the premier had appeared before the Senate to seek a renewed vote of confidence in his government, but after 12 hours of debate in the chamber, Forza Italia and the Lega also decided not to take part in the vote, joining the Movimento 5 Stelle: the result was that, despite a razor-thin confidence vote, the mere 95 votes in favour made it plain that the majority had, in effect, ceased to exist.

In the afternoon, President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella signed the decree dissolving parliament, calling new elections within the 70-day deadline set out by the Constitution: the date subsequently confirmed in the Council of Ministers is expected to be 25 September. "Dissolving parliament is always the last resort, especially when, as in this period, there are many outstanding commitments before parliament that need to be fulfilled in the country's interest," said the head of state. "But the political situation has led to this decision; the vote and the manner in which it was cast in the Senate have made it clear that parliamentary support for the government has collapsed and that there are no prospects for forming a new majority."

Mattarella wished to stress that, despite the dissolution of parliament and the approaching summer recess, "the period does not allow for any pause in the indispensable measures needed to tackle the economic and social crisis; the rise in inflation, driven above all by the cost of energy and food, is having serious consequences." In Mattarella's view, "interventions are indispensable to address economic and social needs, above all for fellow citizens in the most vulnerable brackets, to contain the effects of Russia's war in Ukraine, and for the ever more necessary cooperation at European and international level."

Alongside all of this, "the importance of implementing the PNRR within the agreed timelines must not be overlooked, nor can the duty to continue efforts to combat the pandemic, which is still plainly widespread, be ignored." Then a final appeal, directed at the parties: "I hope that, even amid the intense and fierce dialectic of the election campaign, there will be a constructive contribution from everyone in Italy's higher interest."

The Draghi government will continue in a caretaker capacity — the so-called management of current affairs — until the new elections, which are expected to be held after mid-September. The President of the Republic will receive the speakers of the two chambers, Elisabetta Casellati and Roberto Fico, in the afternoon, before addressing the country. This forms part of the so-called consultations, which are not explicitly governed by the Constitution but are considered a constitutional convention: it is likely, however, that the process will stop here — that is, with Mattarella's acknowledgement that it is impossible to seek a new majority in the current parliament.

Draghi, in what was in effect his final address to the Senate, thanked those who had "supported the government with loyalty, collaboration and participation", responding to criticism voiced from the floor: "Democracy is parliamentary, and that is the democracy I respect and in which I recognise myself. It is you who decide — no requests for full powers." He then explained why the government had not taken a clear position on certain proposed legislation on civil matters, such as Ius Soli, Ius Scholae, cannabis, and the ddl Zan: "The government, by its very nature as a government of national unity, chose not to intervene in parliamentary affairs." One passage also touched on environmental and energy matters: "It is not possible to claim to want energy security for Italians and then, at the same time, protest against regasification terminals."

The Draghi government is, for now, still in place: the Prime Minister had gone to the Quirinale to tender his resignation to the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, after the Movimento 5 Stelle, the largest component of the majority, had that afternoon withheld its confidence vote on the Decreto Aiuti, which had nonetheless secured enough votes to pass. "Today's votes in parliament are a highly significant political development. The national unity majority that has supported this government since its formation no longer exists," Draghi said at the Council of Ministers convened after his first visit to the Quirinale.

Quirinale @Quirinale

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Il Presidente #Mattarella ha ricevuto al #Quirinale il Presidente del Consiglio Mario #Draghi, il comunicato:

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The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, did not, however, accept the resignation and invited the Prime Minister "to appear before parliament to make a statement, so that, in the appropriate forum, an assessment may be made of the situation that has arisen following the outcome of today's sitting of the Senate of the Republic." Draghi's address to parliament is already scheduled for next Wednesday, 20 July.

Repubblica ✓ @repubblica

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Cdm, #Draghi annuncia: "Stasera rassegnerò le dimissioni. Maggioranza di unità nazionale non c'è più" repubblica.it/politica/2022/…

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The Prime Minister had explained to the Council of Ministers that "the bond of trust underpinning the government's action has broken down. Over these past days I have made every effort to continue along our shared path, including by trying to accommodate the needs put to me by the political forces. As is evident from today's parliamentary debate and vote, that effort has not been sufficient." Draghi had recalled that "since my inaugural address to parliament, I have always said that this executive would only continue if there were a clear prospect of being able to deliver the government programme on which the political forces had voted confidence. This cohesion was fundamental to meeting the challenges of these months. Those conditions no longer exist today." Draghi had finally thanked his team "for the many results achieved. We should be proud of what we have accomplished, at a very difficult time, in the interest of all Italians."