Prodi II Cabinet

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Second Prodi cabinet
Flag of Italy.svg
59th cabinet of Italy
Romano Prodi in Nova Gorica (2c).jpg
Date formed 17 May 2006
Date dissolved 8 May 2008
(722 days)
People and organisations
Head of government Romano Prodi
Head of state Giorgio Napolitano
Total number of ministers 26
Member party The Union's parties
History
Election(s) 2006 election
Outgoing election 2008 election
Legislature term(s) 28 April 2006 – 28 April 2008 (XV)
Incoming formation Prodi II Cabinet formation, 2006
Outgoing formation Berlusconi IV Cabinet formation, 2008
Predecessor Berlusconi III Cabinet
Successor Berlusconi IV Cabinet

The Prodi II Cabinet was the cabinet of the government of Italy from 17 May 2006 to 8 May 2008, a total of 722 days, or 1 year, 11 months and 21 days. The 59th cabinet of the Italian Republic, it was the only cabinet of the XV Legislature.

It was composed of 26 ministers, 10 deputy-ministers and 66 under-secretaries, for a total of 102 members.[1]

This was the first government of the Republic in which the Communist Refoundation Party and the Italian Radicals participated directly, and the first government supported by the entire parliamentary left wing since the De Gasperi III Cabinet in 1947.

Formation

Romano Prodi led his coalition to the electoral campaign preceding the election, eventually won by a very narrow margin of 25,000 votes, and a final majority of two seats in the Senate, on 10 April. Prodi's appointment was somewhat delayed, as the outgoing President of the Republic, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, ended his mandate in May, not having enough time for the usual procedure (consultations made by the President, appointment of a Prime Minister, motion of confidence and oath of office). After the acrimonious election of Giorgio Napolitano to replace Ciampi, Prodi could proceed with his transition to government. On 16 May he was invited by Napolitano to form a government. The following day, 17 May 2006, Prodi and his second cabinet were sworn into office.

Romano Prodi obtained the support for his cabinet on 19 May at the Senate and on 23 May at the Chamber of Deputies. Also on 18 May, Prodi laid out some sense of his new foreign policy when he pledged to withdraw Italian troops from Iraq and called the Iraq war a "grave mistake that has not solved but increased the problem of security".[2]

First crisis

The coalition led by Romano Prodi, thanks to the electoral law which gave the winner a sixty-seat majority, can count on a good majority in the Chamber of Deputies but only on a very narrow majority in the Senate. The composition of the coalition was heterogeneous, combining parties of communist ideology, the Party of Italian Communists and Communist Refoundation Party, within the same government as parties of Catholic inspiration, Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy and UDEUR Populars. The latter was led by Clemente Mastella, former chairman of Christian Democracy. Therefore, according to critics,[by whom?] it was difficult to have a single policy in different key areas, such as economics and foreign politics (for instance, Italian military presence in Afghanistan). In his earlier months as PM, Prodi had a key role in the creation of a multinational peacekeeping force in Lebanon following the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict.

Prodi's government faced a crisis over policies in early 2007, after just nine months of government. Three ministers in Prodi's Cabinet boycotted a vote in January to continue funding for Italian troop deployments in Afghanistan. Lawmakers approved the expansion of the US military base Caserma Ederle at the end of January, but the victory was so narrow that Deputy Prime Minister Francesco Rutelli criticised members of the coalition who had not supported the government. At around the same time, Justice Minister Clemente Mastella, of the coalition member UDEUR Populars, said he would rather see the government fall than support its unwed couples legislation.[3]

Tens of thousands of people marched in Vicenza against the expansion of Caserma Ederle, which saw the participation of some leading far-left members of the government.[4] Harsh debates followed in the Italian Senate on 20 February 2007. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Massimo D'Alema declared during an official visit in Ibiza, Spain that, without a majority on foreign policy affairs, the government would resign. The following day, D'Alema gave a speech at the Senate representing the government, clarifying his foreign policy and asking the Senate to vote for or against it. In spite of the fear of many senators that Prodi's defeat would return Silvio Berlusconi to power, the Senate did not approve a motion backing Prodi's government foreign policy, two votes shy of the required majority of 160.[5]

After a Government meeting on 21 February, Romano Prodi tendered his resignation to the President Giorgio Napolitano, who cut short an official visit to Bologna in order to receive the Prime Minister. Prodi's spokesman indicated that he would only agree to form a new Government "if, and only if, he is guaranteed the full support of all the parties in the majority from now on."[6] On 22 February, centre-left coalition party leaders backed a non-negotiable list of twelve political conditions given by Prodi as conditions of his remaining in office. President Napolitano held talks with political leaders on 23 February to decide whether to confirm Prodi's Government, ask Prodi to form a new government or call fresh elections.[7]

Following these talks, on 24 February, President Napolitano asked Prodi to remain in office but to submit to a vote of confidence in both houses.[7][8] "I will seek a vote of confidence as soon as possible, with renewed impetus and a united and determined coalition," Prodi said after meeting with President Giorgio Napolitano.[9] On 28 February, the Senate voted to grant confidence to Prodi's Government. Though facing strong opposition from the centre-right coalition, the vote resulted in a 162–157 victory.[10] Prodi then faced a vote of confidence in the lower house on 2 March, which he won as expected with a large majority of 342–198.[11]

On 14 October 2007, Prodi oversaw the merger of two main parties of the Italian centre-left, Democrats of the Left and Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy, creating the Democratic Party. Prodi himself led the merger of the two parties, which had been planned over a twelve-year period, and became the first President of the party. He announced his resignation from that post on 16 April 2008, two days after the Democratic Party's defeat in the general election.

Fall

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See also: 2008 Italian political crisis

On 24 January 2008 Prime Minister of Italy Romano Prodi lost a vote of confidence in the Senate by a vote of 161 to 156 votes, causing the downfall of his government.[12] Prodi's resignation led President Giorgio Napolitano to request the President of the Senate, Franco Marini, to assess the possibility to form a caretaker government. The other possibility would have been to call for early elections immediately. Marini acknowledged impossibility to form an interim government due to the unavailability of the centre-right parties, and early elections were scheduled for 13 and 14 April 2008.

Composition

Portfolio Minister Took office Left office Party
Prime Minister   Romano Prodi 17 May 2006 8 May 2008 The Union
Secretary to the Council of Ministers   Enrico Letta 17 May 2006 8 May 2008 The Daisy
Minister of Foreign Affairs   Massimo D'Alema 17 May 2006 8 May 2008 Democrats of the Left
Minister of the Interior   Giuliano Amato 17 May 2006 8 May 2008 The Union
Minister of Economy and Finances   Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa 17 May 2006 8 May 2008 Independent
Minister of Defense   Arturo Parisi 17 May 2006 8 May 2008 The Daisy
Minister of Justice   Clemente Mastella 17 May 2006 17 January 2008 UDEUR
  Romano Prodi (ad interim) 17 January 2008 7 February 2008 The Union
  Luigi Scotti 7 February 2008 8 May 2008 Communist (PdCI)
Minister of the Economic Development   Pierluigi Bersani 17 May 2006 8 May 2008 Democrats of the Left
Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies   Paolo De Castro 17 May 2006 8 May 2008 The Daisy
Minister of Education   Giuseppe Fioroni 17 May 2006 8 May 2008 The Daisy
Minister of University and Research   Fabio Mussi 17 May 2006 8 May 2008 Democrats of the Left
Minister of Labour   Cesare Damiano 17 May 2006 8 May 2008 Democrats of the Left
Minister for Health   Livia Turco 17 May 2006 8 May 2008 Democrats of the Left
Minister of Infrastructures   Antonio Di Pietro 17 May 2006 8 May 2008 Italy of Values
Minister of Environment and Protection of Land and Sea   Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio 17 May 2006 8 May 2008 Greens
Minister of Cultural Heritage and Tourism   Francesco Rutelli 17 May 2006 8 May 2008 The Daisy
Minister of Transports   Alessandro Bianchi 17 May 2006 8 May 2008 Communist (PdCI)
Minister of Social Solidarity   Paolo Ferrero 17 May 2006 8 May 2008 Communist Refoundation Party
Minister of Communications   Paolo Gentiloni 17 May 2006 8 May 2008 The Daisy
Minister of European Affairs and International Trade   Emma Bonino 17 May 2006 8 May 2008 Radicals

Ministers without portfolio

Portfolio Minister Took office Left office Party
Minister of Reforms and Parliament   Vannino Chiti 17 May 2006 8 May 2008 Democrats of the Left
Minister of Public Administration and Innovations   Luigi Nicolais 17 May 2006 8 May 2008 Democrats of the Left
Minister for Regional Affairs   Linda Lanzillotta 17 May 2006 8 May 2008 The Daisy
Minister for Platform Accomplishment   Giulio Santagata 17 May 2006 8 May 2008 The Daisy
Minister of Equal Opportunities   Barbara Pollastrini 17 May 2006 8 May 2008 Democrats of the Left
Minister of Youth Policies and Sports   Giovanna Melandri 17 May 2006 8 May 2008 Democrats of the Left
Minister for Family   Rosy Bindi 17 May 2006 8 May 2008 The Daisy

Sources

References

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  9. ↑ Italy's Leader Asks Premier to Stay on. Associated Press, 25 February 2007.
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