Berlusconi IV Cabinet

Fourth Berlusconi cabinet

60th cabinet of Italy
Date formed 8 May 2008
Date dissolved 16 November 2011
(1,287 days)
People and organisations
Head of government Silvio Berlusconi
Head of state Giorgio Napolitano
Total number of ministers 23
Member party People of Freedom (PdL)
Lega Nord
Movement for Autonomy (MpA)
The Populars of Italy Tomorrow (PID) since March 2011
History
Election(s) 2008 election
Outgoing election
Legislature term(s) 29 April 2008 - 15 March 2013 (XVI)
Incoming formation Berlusconi IV Cabinet formation, 2008
Outgoing formation Monti Cabinet formation, 2011
Predecessor Prodi II Cabinet
Successor Monti Cabinet

Berlusconi IV Cabinet was the cabinet of the Italy from 8 May 2008 to 16 November 2011.

It was the fourth cabinet led by Silvio Berlusconi, the longest-serving Prime Minister of Italy of the Italian Republic (3340 days in office). It was a coalition government composed mainly of two parties, The People of Freedom (PdL) and Lega Nord. Key ministers included Franco Frattini, Giulio Tremonti, Roberto Maroni and Angelino Alfano.

At its formation, the government included 22 ministers and 39 under-secretaries, for a total of 61 members. At the end of its term the cabinet was composed of 24 ministers, 4 deputy ministers and 39 under-secretaries, for a total of 67 members. With 1287 days of tenure, it was second in longevity only to Berlusconi's second government (1409 days from 2001 to 2005) in the history of the Italian Republic.

Formation

After the sudden fall of the Prodi II Cabinet on 24 January, the break-up of The Union coalition and the subsequent political crisis (which paved the way for a fresh general election on April 2008), Berlusconi, Gianfranco Fini and other party leaders finally agreed on 8 February 2008 to form a joint list named "The People of Freedom" (Italian: Il Popolo della Libertà), allied with the Lega Nord of Umberto Bossi and with the Sicilian Movement for Autonomy of Raffaele Lombardo.[1]

In the snap parliamentary elections held on 13/14 April 2008 this coalition won against Walter Veltroni's centre-left coalition in both houses of the Italian Parliament.

Berlusconi and his ministers (Berlusconi IV Cabinet) were sworn in on 8 May 2008.[2]

Fall

Berlusconi's government during the oath.

On 10 October the Chamber of Deputies rejected the law on the budget of the State proposed by the government. As a result of this event Berlusconi moved for a confidence vote in the Chamber on 14 October, he won the vote with just 316 votes to 310, minimum required to retain a majority. An increasing number of Deputies continued to cross the floor and join the opposition and on 8 November the Chamber approved the law on the budget of the State previously rejected but with only 308 votes, while opposition parties didn't participate in the vote to highlight that Berlusconi lost his majority. Among other things, his perceived failure to tackle Italy's debt crisis with an estimated debt sum of €1.9 trillion ($2.6 trillion) has urged Berlusconi to leave office. The popularity of this decision was reflected in the fact that while he was resigning crowds sang the hallelujah portion of George Frederick Handel’s "Messiah", complete with some vocal accompaniment; there was also dancing in the streets outside the Quirinal Palace, the official residence of the President of Italy, where Berlusconi went to tender his resignation.

The austerity package was passed, it will raise €59.8 billion in savings from spending cuts and tax raises, including freezing public-sector salaries until 2014 and gradually increasing the retirement age for women in the private sector from 60 in 2014 to 65 in 2026. The resignation also came at a difficult time for Berlusconi, as he was involved in numerous trials for corruption, fraud and sex offences. He was often found guilty in lower courts but used loopholes in Italy's legal system to evade incarceration.

Berlusconi had also failed to meet some of his pre-election promises and had failed to prevent economic decline and introduce serious reforms. Many believed that the problems and doubts over Berlusconi's leadership and his coalition were one of the factors that contributed to market anxieties over an imminent Italian financial disaster, which could have a potentially catastrophic effect on the 17-nation eurozone and the world economy. Many critics of Berlusconi accused him of using his power primarily to protect his own business ventures. Umberto Bossi, leader of the Lega Nord, a partner in Berlusconi's right-wing coalition, was quoted as informing reporters outside parliament, "We asked the prime minister to step aside."

CNN reported on 7 November that Berlusconi had previously denied the rumors that he was going to resign and had stated on his Facebook page that "The rumors of my resignation are groundless." On 12 November 2011, after a final meeting with his cabinet, Berlusconi met Italian president Giorgio Napolitano at the Quirinal Palace to tender his resignation. He announced this to the Italian public by telephone on one of his television channels. Italian news agency ANSA reported that Berlusconi had remarked to his aides that "This is something that deeply saddens me". Berlusconi conceded that he had lost his parliamentary majority and concluded that "things like who leads or who doesn't lead the government was less important than doing what is right for the country." Berlusconi issued a statement that he would not stand for office in Italy again after the budget defeat. In his resignation he was said to have also mentioned "eight traitors", former allies who had abstained.

Party breakdown

Party breakdown of cabinet ministers:

19
3
1

Composition

Prime Minister

Office Name Term Party
Prime Minister
Silvio Berlusconi
8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011
The People of Freedom

Ministers

Office Name Term Party
Minister of the Interior
Roberto Maroni
8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011
Lega Nord
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Franco Frattini
8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011
The People of Freedom
Minister of Economy and Finances
Giulio Tremonti
8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011
The People of Freedom
Minister of Defence
Ignazio La Russa
8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011
The People of Freedom
Minister of Justice
Angelino Alfano
8 May 2008 – 27 July 2011
The People of Freedom
Francesco Nitto Palma
27 July 2011 – 16 November 2011
The People of Freedom
Minister of Economic Development
Claudio Scajola
8 May 2008 – 4 May 2010
The People of Freedom
Paolo Romani
4 May 2010 – 16 November 2011
The People of Freedom
Minister of Agriculture
Luca Zaia
8 May 2008 – 16 April 2010
Lega Nord
Giancarlo Galan
16 April 2010 – 23 March 2011
The People of Freedom
Francesco Saverio Romano
23 March 2011 – 16 November 2011
The Populars of Italy Tomorrow
Minister of Education
Mariastella Gelmini
8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011
The People of Freedom
Minister of Labour
Maurizio Sacconi
8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011
The People of Freedom
Minister of Health
Ferruccio Fazio
12 December 2009 – 16 November 2011
The People of Freedom
Minister of Infrastructures and Transports
Altero Matteoli
8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011
The People of Freedom
Minister of the Environment
Stefania Prestigiacomo
8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011
The People of Freedom
Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities
Sandro Bondi
8 May 2008 – 23 March 2011
The People of Freedom
Giancarlo Galan
16 April 2010 – 23 March 2011
The People of Freedom
Minister European Affairs
Andrea Ronchi
8 May 2008 – 15 November 2010
The People of Freedom
Anna Maria Bernini
15 November 2010 – 16 November 2011
The People of Freedom
Minister of the Federal Reforms
Umberto Bossi
8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011
Lega Nord
Minister of Public Administration and Innovation
Renato Brunetta
8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011
The People of Freedom
Minister of Legislative Simplification
Roberto Calderoli
8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011
Lega Nord
Minister of Regional Affairs
Raffaele Fitto
8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011
The People of Freedom
Minister of Platform Accomplishment
Renato Brunetta
8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011
The People of Freedom
Minister of Equal Opportunity
Mara Carfagna
8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011
The People of Freedom
Minister of Youth Policies
Giorgia Meloni
8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011
The People of Freedom
Minister of Tourism
Michela Vittoria Brambilla
8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011
The People of Freedom

References

External links

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