Draghi sworn in: expectations and dampers
Following weeks of political stalemate and infighting, economist and ex-ECB chief Mario Draghi took office as Italy's prime minister on Saturday. President Sergio Mattarella first swore in the head of government, then his 23 ministers. Europe's press notes that both Italy and Draghi expect a lot of each other.
High risk of disappointment
The expectations are huge, Corriere del Ticino comments:
“Notwithstanding all the media fanfare, it is more because of international pressure than a consensus among the parties that Mario Draghi's government has emerged. ... If you also consider that it will likely last two years at best, it will hardly be able to achieve all the newspapers expect of it, namely everything. ... The new prime minister, who's far more political than he likes to pretend, has not dampened expectations with his 'pro-European, Atlantic and ecological' programme.”
Money must be wisely distributed
As soon as Italy's coffers are empty Draghi could be forced to leave office as unceremoniously as Conte did, Deutschlandfunk points out:
“Unless, that is, he is able to use the funds available with wisdom and expertise so that the whole of the country benefits, and not just individual interest groups, as has unfortunately often been the case. And only if in this way he succeeds in teaching the Italians that neither right-wing populists nor inexperienced protest movements like M5S, nor even the time-honoured yet stodgy Social Democrats, but only a modern, clever European vision of the state's affairs can bring Italy forward, then he will have earned all the praise he's now receiving.”
Mario doesn't want any more silly tricks
Janko Petrovec, Italy correspondent for RTV Slovenija, says he knows what Draghi expects of his country:
“The first thing he'll do is to curb the epidemic, accelerate the vaccination campaign, draw up a plan for reconstruction and combat increasing poverty. ... His lack of words has showed up the lack of substance in the PR strategies and propaganda spins of the past few years. Super Mario expects Italy to act like an adult, roll up its sleeves and prepare for sacrifices. He expects it to come to its senses and sober up. He serves as a role model in terms of the ability to learn, competence and taciturnity. 'Whatever it takes.' That's just how he is.”
A backward male government
The fact that only eight of 23 ministerial posts have gone to women is a serious problem, La Repubblica concludes:
“This is an expression of the country's backwardness. ... Female employment rates are low, at less than 50 percent, and the percentage of women who stop working when they have children is high (one in five). So women's careers are blocked. The prevalence of gender stereotypes is hindering the development of female human resources. ... Our country badly needs a master plan against gender stereotypes. Gender equality must be a strategic goal that permeates all policy areas. The choice of ministers doesn't reflect this at all.”