Draghi demands Italian unity as price for staying on as PM

Draghi had tendered his resignation last week

Italy's Mario Draghi on Wednesday demanded unity among his broad coalition as the price for staying on as prime minister after the president rejected his resignation last week following a government row, Qazet.az reports.

Draghi set out a series of issues facing the country ranging from the war in Ukraine to social inequality and rising prices, and said political parties needed to get behind him if he was to steer the country to elections due in the first half of 2023.

"Are the parties and you parliamentarians ready to rebuild this pact?" Draghi said in an uncompromising speech to the upper house, adding that was what Italians were demanding.

Draghi had tendered his resignation last week after the populist 5-Star Movement refused to back the coalition in a parliamentary confidence vote. President Sergio Mattarella turned him down and told him to go back before parliament to see if he could revive the 18-month-old administration.