Italian second republic, 2nd republic italy, tangentopoli, mani pulite, clean hands, silvio berlusconi, romano prodi, mario monti, bersani, bossi
house of freedoms, lega nord, olive tree, democratic party, people of freedom, pd, pdl

Italy's Second Republic
Towards the end of the 80s and 90s, corruption had become endemic in Italian politics. The long-suffering population had become increasingly unhappy about what became known as 'Tangentopoli': a toxic mixture of the polititians' antics in Parliament, widespread corruption, massive government debt and the Mafia's stranglehold on public life. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, a series of events triggered a comprehensive investigation and clean-up, called 'Clean Hands' (Mani Pulite). As a result, a series of referendums were held in 1993 which, amongst other things, approved changes to the voting system. In the subsequent election of 1994, 452 out of 630 deputies were replaced and 213 out of 315 senators lost their seats. These political upheavals led to the formation of the 2nd Republic.



The voters had become very disillusioned with the traditional political parties and consequently a political newcomer, Silvio Berlusconi, was swept to power as prime minister with a new party, the 'House of Freedoms' coalition. However, this coalition proved to be a fragile one and having lost the support of his partners in the Lega Nord, Berlusconi was forced to step down. Italy's constitution provided for a caretaker government, headed by prime minister, Lamberto Dini, which governed until new elections were held in 1996.








By this time the left-leaning parties has reorganised themselves and won the new election as a coalition called 'The Olive Tree', headed by Romano Prodi. in Italian terms, this government lasted a long time, 2 years, before being narrowly defeated in a vote of confidence in 1998. A new government was put together under the leadership of former communist Massimo D'Alema, but after performing badly in regional elections, he too resigned. Again, the government rearranged itself and this time the president appointed a former prime minister, Giuliano Amato, a social-democrat who had served in the 1st republic.



In 2001 new national elections were held and this time Silvio Berlusconi was returned to power with a new, centre-right coalition called 'Freedom House'. The was made up with Berlusconi's own pary own party, Forza Italia, the National Alliance, the Northern League, the Christian Democratic Center, and the Democrats' Center Union. This government lasted for an unusually long time, until the new elections of 2006 when Romano Prodi was narrowly returned to power. Although he resigned less than a year later, the Italian president, Giorgio Napolitano, asked him to stay on which he did until he lost a vote of confidence and new elections were called in January 2008.

These elections set the scene for the current political landscape. The main centre-left parties united under 'The Democratic Party' set up by Walter Veltroni, a previous mayor of Rome, and the centre-right parties under 'The People of Freedom Party', led by Silvio Berlusconi. Berlusconi won the election with what, in Italian terms, was a clear majority.

However, as the Euro crisis gathered momentum towards the end of 2011, and Berlusconi's ability to deliver the necessary reforms was called into doubt, several members of his party withdrew their support during a crucial vote in Parliament which led to his resignation as Prime Minister.



Under Italian consitutional law, the President of the Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, put together a new government of European Tecnocrats (i.e. unelected administrators) under the leadership of Mario Monti, an ex-European Commissioner. He hoped that they would have the necessary experience and credibility to calm the volatile financial markets.

The elected polititians, perhaps reluctant to accept the blame for making unpopular decisions, are supporting this development for the time being. However, should that support be withdrawn at any time over the next year, it would immediately lead to new elections.