Italy Ponders a New Role for Draghi. Let the Politicking Begin.
The New York Times
Prime Minister Mario Draghi is in the running to be the next president, a powerful but often-ceremonial role that could take his hand off day-to-day affairs.
ROME — Just a few months ago at an international summit in Rome, President Biden privately told Prime Minister Mario Draghi of Italy that when it came to showing that democracies can function well, “You are doing it.” For good measure, he added, according to a person in the room, the Italian had a “hell of a political operation.”
Since taking office last February, Mr. Draghi has stabilized Italy’s volatile politics, made populism unfashionable, and assured international markets with long-sought overhauls and tough coronavirus measures. He has turned a nation whose political chaos has often prompted derision into a leader on the European stage and imbued Italians with a renewed sense of pride and steadiness.
But suddenly Italians are facing the prospect that Mr. Draghi — formerly the president of the European Central Bank and widely credited with saving the euro — could exit as prime minister. Next week, starting on Jan. 24, Italian lawmakers vote for a new seven-year president, an influential but often ceremonial role that Mr. Draghi is widely understood to covet.
