Italy's president rejects Prime Minister Mario Draghi's offer to resign

Italian Premier Mario Draghi offered to step down Thursday after a populist coalition ally refused to support a key government bill, but the nation's president rejected the resignation, telling Draghi to see if he can still find a majority in Parliament willing to support him.

Draghi's broad unity coalition government — which includes parties from the right, the left, the center and the populist 5-Star Movement — was designed to help Italy recover from the coronavirus pandemic. He took office in February 2021.