Est. 3min 15-04-2008 (updated: 28-05-2012 ) berlusconi3.jpg Euractiv is part of the Trust Project >>> Languages: Français | DeutschPrint Email Facebook X LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Silvio Berlusconi triumphed in the Italian political elections sealing his third victory in almost 15 years of politics. In the winning right-wing coalition (PDL – Popolo Della Liberta’), the xenophobic Lega Nord also scored highly. One of the most notable outcomes of the election is the complete defeat of the leftist coalition which includes communists and greens. They were not able to overcome the thresholds set in the Senate and in the Chamber of Deputies and will therefore not be represented in the Parliament for the first time since the fall of fascism. The second biggest political force of the country, the centre-left coalition run by Walter Veltroni, was left well behind Berlusconi’s in both chambers of Parliament. However, the former major of Rome has been widely recognised as the triggering force that helped overcome the excessive fragmentation of the Italian political system. By merging his party, the Democrats of the Left, with other centre-left forces, he created the Democratic Party and prompted a wave of other political mergers ahead of the elections. The result is that in the new Parliament the number of parties will be drastically cut, bringing Italy closer to European standards. The clear victory secured by Berlusconi gives him a comfortable majority in both chambers of the Italian Parliament, including the Senate whose extreme balance proved to be too big a hurdle for the former government led by Romano Prodi. The Lega Nord party of Umberto Bossi strongly contributed to the positive result of the right-wing coalition with a significant increase of his electoral base. Berlusconi has made clear that he will cut the number of ministers to 12 from the current 26. The vice-president of the European Commission in charge of internal affairs and justice, Franco Frattini, has already been promised the job of minister of foreign affairs, which he held in the former Berlusconi-led government between 2002 and 2004. The new government will first address the rubbish crisis in Campania and the sale of the collapsing national airline Alitalia, Berlusconi said yesterday evening. His designated economy minister Giulio Tremonti, who served in the same position in the last government, has several times showed himself to be in favour of introducing new trade barriers to protect European industries and workers. This could rapidly put him at loggerheads with the generally more liberal-minded European Commission. Read more with Euractiv Zapatero re-elected as Spanish economy falters Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero announced a new government on Saturday after winning the confidence of the Spanish Parliament. But economic clouds are gathering fast over the new, female-dominated cabinet. Subscribe now to our newsletter EU Elections Decoded Email Address * Politics Newsletters PositionsEuropean Commission President José Manuel Barroso phoned both Berlusconi and Prodi after the elections. He offered his congratulations to the new prime minister and said he is "certain that he can count on Italy to engage in the necessary reforms to face the challenges of globalisation," according to his spokesperson. As for the replacement of Franco Frattini, Barroso's spokesperson said that "there is no formal deadline in the Treaty, which means that replacement has to happen as swiftly as possible". Joseph Daul, the chairman of the EPP-ED Group in the European Parliament, expressed his "deep satisfaction" following the results of legislative elections in Italy. "I warmly congratulate Silvio Berlusconi for the very clear victory of the PDL and the MPA. In expressing massive confidence in the PDL, Italians opted for change," he said. However, European Socialist Party (PES) President Poul Nyrup Rasmussen said: "The return of Berlusconi does not inspire hope for either Italy or Europe." But "the fact that he is talking about a dialogue with the opposition over reform is mildly encouraging," he conceded, adding that "a government dependent on the extremist Lega Nord is an alarming prospect and will do nothing for Italy's international reputation". Graham Watson, chairman of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in the European Parliament (ALDE) hoped Berlusconi would use his third opportunity "after his first two failures" as Italian prime minister. Brian Crowley, co-president of the UEN (Union for Europe of the Nations) Group in the European Parliament, said: "I would like to congratulate the Italian colleagues of Alleanza Nazionale and Lega Nord on their splendid victory in Italy. We are certain that the vast majority gained by the centre-right thanks to the votes of the Italian people is the premise for a new political season which will bring Italy stability and development." BackgroundAfter the premature fall of the centre-left coalition led by Romano Prodi (EURACTIV 25/01/08), Italians were asked to vote for a new government on 13 and 14 April. The victory of Silvio Berlusconi marks his fourth mandate as Italian prime minister. He first won in 1994 but his government lasted less than two years due to new legal proceedings against him that prompted the departure of key allies. He then won again, with a large margin, in 2001. His third mandate started in 2005 when bad results for his coalition in local elections forced him to reshuffle his ministers and create a new executive. Romano Prodi proved to be the only Italian politician able to defeat him. Indeed, both times the former European Commission president ran against Berlusconi, he won (in 1996 and 2006). But in both cases his governments fell due to internal fighting. Further ReadingPress articles Italian Minister of Economic Affairs:Front pages of main Italian newspapers(14 April 2008) Financial Times:Berlusconi sweeps to victory(14 April 2008) Le Monde:Le troisième mandat de Silvio Berlusconi en Italie est tiré à droite par la Ligue du Nord(14 April 2008) Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ):Berlusconi zieht es nach Neapel(14 April 2008) El Pais:Berlusconi logra su tercer mandato(14 April 2008)
