Premier Gentiloni says Italy ‘vaccinated’ against political chaos

Outgoing Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni said Thursday in Rome that Italy is ‘vaccinated’ against political chaos.

Gentiloni said that the risk of political instability in Italy after elections in 2018 should not be overstated because the country is used to such situations.

“We should not dramatise the issue of political instability,” the prime minister said during an end-of-mandate news conference in the lower house of parliament.

Referring to the fact that Italy has a history of short-lived and unstable governments, he said, “We are pretty vaccinated […] and these frequent changes did not stop the country from growing and developing.”

Other countries were in the same boat, the Italian premier said.

“I hear people talking about an Italianisation of [European] politics.

“If I think about the bigger European economies, all have, except [France], problems of relative political instability: look at Britain, Spain, even Germany.”

Italian President Sergio Mattarella was due later Thursday to dissolve parliament, paving the way for a cabinet meeting that will set the date, likely March 4, for general elections.

The elections will likely see a three-way race between a conservative bloc led by former premier Silvio Berlusconi, the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) and Gentiloni’s centre-left Democratic Party (PD), which is struggling the most in opinion polls.

Berlusconi’s alliance is on course to win the most votes but not a parliamentary majority.

The PD, led by former premier Matteo Renzi, is heading for a rout.

Most observers predict a hung parliament and political deadlock after polls close.

Gentiloni told the press conference his government would remain in place until a deal on a successor administration is found. He dodged questions on the possibility that he may keep his job after the elections as leader of a grand coalition.

Gentiloni’s government was hastily appointed 12 months ago after Renzi was badly defeated in a referendum on constitutional reforms he had sponsored, and resigned from the premiership.

He said: “We did not muddle through.

“My government made few announcements, but in my opinion, it did not take few decisions.”

“The truth is that Italy has restarted after the most serious [economic] crisis since World War II.”

Italy is the eurozone’s third-largest economy.

It emerged from a record recession in 2014, but its economic growth lags behind eurozone peers and remains hobbled by high unemployment and public debt.