The leader of the 5 Star Movement (M5E), Giuseppe Conte, contained this Wednesday the rumors of an imminent break in the government coalition in Italy and maintained – at least for the moment – support for Mario Draghi after days of strong tensions between the partners . The prime minister met with Conte to try to clarify internal discrepancies and bring positions closer, after a crisis in the relationship between the two that broke out last week, while Draghi was at the NATO summit, when the former ‘premier’ accused the former president of the European Central Bank for having criticized him and even for having ‘asked for his head’ in a telephone conversation with the founder of the M5E, Beppe Grillo.

Draghi was quick to deny these accusations upon his early return to Italy from the Summit a week ago and summoned Conte to the meeting held today to stop the threat of a break in the coalition, supported by practically all the parties in the hemicycle except for the ultras. Brothers from Italy and other minority groups.

“I transferred to Draghi the strong political unrest in the 5-Star Movement community. We are willing to share government responsibilities in a fair and constructive manner, but we need a strong signal of change,” Conte told the media as he left the Chigi Palace. The changes demanded by the M5E were delivered to the ‘premier’ in a document with nine points, among which are “extraordinary measures” on the management of the economy and taxation.

The text, leaked to the media, begins with a long introduction, seasoned with complaints, recriminations and criticism of the ‘premier’. “We have repeatedly told them, in vain, how it is unacceptable for the Council of Ministers to be relegated to the role of a mere certifying body for decisions already made,” says the document in one of the most direct attacks on Draghi.

The majority forces of the coalition are also in the sights of the Five Star: “We have always worked for the peaceful discussion of problems, offering our contribution without reservations to reach useful solutions, without ever creating difficulties. This has not been the attitude of all the majority political forces. We have suffered harmful attacks, lack of respect, to the point of being the object of invective aimed at destroying our very existence. Many times there has been indifference to our legitimate requests”.

After the reproaches, the text details the demands of the coalition partner: measures against inflation, reducing the tax wedge for workers and companies, approving the minimum wage and maintaining the “Citizenship Income”, a system of subsidies created by the M5E in his time in government (2018-2020), among others.

Conte said that “it is fair” to grant the prime minister a few days to study the document, but indicated that his party “expects answers for July” since “now it is Draghi’s turn to give the Movement reasons to stay.” Matteo Salvini, leader of the League, had already joined Conte’s ultimatum, who pronounced words extremely similar to those of Conte, about the need for changes of pace and “political evaluations” in the Executive: “I await answers from Draghi. In September I will evaluate it”.

Another of the points that the prime minister will have to reconsider if he wants the coalition of national unity to continue standing, focuses on a decree with aid against the increase in prices that will be voted tomorrow in the Chamber of Deputies for its conversion into law and that, among other things, distributes bonuses of 200 euros to workers and pensioners with incomes of less than 35,000 euros a year, which Conte does not consider sufficient.

The other key issue in the discrepancies of the M5E with the coalition is the so-called “Superbonus”, a tax credit of 110% of the expenditure made to improve the energy efficiency of a house, as well as reduce its seismic risk. The Five Stars requests a series of modifications to the extent that they avoid possible fraud. “We must solve the problem with absolute urgency. There are thousands of companies that are on the verge of bankruptcy, there are families that cannot finish the works and we cannot allow all this.”

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