Former ECB chief Draghi appointed to form Italy's new govt

ROME - Former chief of European Central Bank (ECB) Mario Draghi was appointed to form Italy's new government, the office of President Sergio Mattarella said on Wednesday.

"This morning, the president of the Republic has received Professor Mario Draghi, to whom he has assigned the task of forming a new government," Secretary-General of the Italian Presidency Ugo Zampetti told a press conference.

The appointment came after Draghi met with Mattarella for over one hour at the Quirinale Palace. A day earlier, exploratory talks to recompose the previous government failed.

Draghi will be tasked with forming a non-political cabinet with the largest possible support in parliament to lead Italy in the next crucial months.

"This is a difficult moment," Draghi acknowledged in a short declaration after being appointed. "Winning over the pandemic, completing the vaccination campaign, providing answers to the citizens' immediate problems, and re-launching the economy are the challenges we face."

Mattarella told a press conference on Tuesday that he would confer a mandate to form a "non-partisan government."

The president explained that Italy can't afford snap elections right now because it needs a fully functioning government that can fight the pandemic and also submit a national Recovery Plan to the European Union (EU) by April.

Former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte had to resign in late January, despite surviving two confidence votes in parliament after former premier Matteo Renzi decided to pull his Italia Viva party from the governing coalition.

According to local media, Renzi's decision was out of disagreement over the government's handling of the pandemic and of the multi-billion-euro EU funding for Italy.