Italy

Index

Italy Main Page
Italy Becomes a Unified Peninsula
The Rise and Fall of Mussolini
Italy Moves to Stabilize Its Economy
Berlusconi Proves to Be Resilient and Persistent
Italy Faces Challenges and Berlusconi Faces Charges
Mario Monti Helps to Stabilize Economy

Berlusconi Proves to Be Resilient and Persistent

In June 2001, Silvio Berlusconi, a conservative billionaire, was sworn in as prime minister. He pledged to reduce unemployment, cut taxes, revamp the educational system, and reform the bureaucracy. His critics were alarmed by the apparent conflict of interest of a prime minister who also owned 90% of Italy's media. He was accused of Mafia connections and was under indictment for tax fraud and bribery. Found guilty in three out of four of his trials, he was acquitted in all of them on appeal. Several other cases are pending.

In April 2005, regional elections had disastrous results for Berlusconi's center-right coalition. The dismal state of the economy was blamed for the poor showing. In parliamentary elections held April 2006, the center-left Union coalition led by Romano Prodi won 49.8% of the vote and Berlusconi's House of Liberties coalition won 49.7%—a mere 25,000 vote difference. Berlusconi refused to concede and called for a recount. He eventually relented, and Prodi was given the go-ahead by the newly installed president Giorgio Napolitano to form a government. Prodi served as prime minister once before (1996–98) and also as president of the European Union. Prodi's government proved fragile almost immediately. Indeed, he submitted his resignation in Feb. 2007, just nine months into his term, after a key foreign-policy vote about the deployment of troops to Afghanistan and an expansion of a U. S. military base failed in the Senate. Days later, the Senate, facing the prospect of Silvio Berlusconi returning to power, narrowly passed a vote of confidence in Prodi's government and he remained in office. Less than a year later, in Jan. 2008, the Udeur party bolted from his coalition, costing Prodi his majority in the senate. He survived a no-confidence vote in the lower house of Parliament, but lost in the Senate, 161 to 156, forcing his government to resign. Parliament was dissolved, and elections were set for April. Berlusconi saw the crisis as an opportunity for a political comeback. On April 15, 2008, with support from the Northern League, Berlusconi and his center-right government won the elections, ensuring him a third term as prime minister.

On May 8, 2008, Berlusconi was sworn in for his third term as prime minister and announced his cabinet, which remains dominated by center-right politicians and includes few women.

On July 23, 2008, the Senate and lower chamber approved a bill that grants immunity to the four most powerful elected officials while they are in office, including the prime minister, the president, and the speakers of the two chambers of Parliament.