Italy's president rejects PM's resignation to avoid early general elections

Italian President Sergio Mattarella rejected the resignation Thursday submitted by Prime Minister Mario Draghi, amid a political crisis that experts warn could push the euro zone's third-largest economy into an early general election.

The Italian presidency announced that Mattarella "did not accept the resignation, and called on the prime minister to appear before Parliament in order to conduct an assessment of the situation" resulting from the boycott of the "Five Star" movement, affiliated with the ruling coalition, a vote of confidence in the government in the Senate.

And earlier on Thursday, Mario Draghi said during a government session: “I would like to announce that this evening I will submit my resignation to the president,” adding that the conditions necessary for the continuation of the government coalition “no longer exist.”

The Italian Prime Minister also considered that "the charter of confidence on which the government is based no longer exists," according to Agence France-Presse.

The leader of the "Five Star" movement, Giuseppe Conte, announced Wednesday that senators from his party will not participate in the vote of confidence initially requested by the executive branch.

The government won confidence in Thursday's vote, but Draghi had previously warned repeatedly that he would not remain in the prime minister's office without the movement's support.

The government coalition includes all the political forces represented in Parliament, with the exception of the far-right "Fratelli d'Italia" party.

Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news