Mario Draghi wins the support of the Five Star Movement

LONDON – Mario Draghi has garnered enough support from Italian legislators and is now very likely to lead the next Italian government.

Members of the left-wing Five Star Movement chose to back Draghi, prime minister-designate, in an online poll on Thursday, with 59.3% supporting the former head of the European Central Bank. Draghi appears to have a solid majority in Rome and no party could derail his administration.

Now he will face votes of confidence in Parliament next week and will present his cabinet to the president on Friday.

Draghi was called upon to resolve a political crisis in the euro’s third-largest economy. The chaos began when a small party, called Italia Viva, withdrew its support for the fragile coalition government. This meant that the pro-EU cabinet lost the majority of necessary work in the Italian Parliament, raising the possibility of snap elections at a time of severe economic and health crisis.

After a meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella last week, Draghi agreed to try to form a government of national unity. Draghi, famous for rescuing the euro from the clutches of a sovereign debt crisis, will face the difficult task of leading his own country’s economic recovery.

A government led by Draghi, while more technocratic than political, would avoid the need for snap elections, something that most mainstream politicians want to avoid. Polls show that the anti-immigration party Lega would win the most votes in an election and could form an alliance with the far-right Brothers of Italy party.

Along with the Five Star Movement, the centrist Democratic Party and Italia Viva have also backed Draghi. Matteo Renzi, leader of Italia Viva, told CNBC last week that he believes the country will be in “very good hands” with Draghi.

“I am very happy because today Italy is in very good hands,” said Renzi. “Mario Draghi was the Italian who saved the euro. Now I think he will be the European who will save Italy,” he added.