The United States looks likely to lose its highest-profile supporter in ‘old Europe’ when Italy holds its general election next year. Italians revealed the extent of their disillusionment with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi during regional elections held in 13 of Italy’s 20 regions on April 3 and 4. Berlusconi’s four-party conservative coalition was soundly defeated, losing six of the eight regions it previously held. The depth of concern was also displayed by strong voter turnout despite the elections coinciding with the Pope’s death.
Apart from a lukewarm economy and the general realisation that success at running a business doesn’t automatically make for success at running a country, discontent was focused on a few specific areas. The most prominent of these was the extent of Berlusconi’s media ownership and his continued manoeuvring to further increase his powers.
There was widespread concern over the proposal to repeal the par condicio law that guarantees equal media time to the main political parties. Berlusconi owns five of the seven main television channels, and also arguably controls the state-run RAI. His attempt to repeal the par condicio law was rightly viewed as an attempt to grant his media empire even greater?power. Other blatant attempts to model himself as a modern-day Caesar Augustus include proposals to increase the powers of the prime minister at the expense of the president, and to reduce the powers and freedom of public prosecution and the constitutional court.
Also troubling the great majority of Italians was Italy’s involvement in Iraq. A belated decision by Berlusconi to begin reducing troop numbers there was seen as a grudging attempt to appease public demand. In addition there was general embarrassment at Berlusconi’s performance during Italy’s tenure as chair of the EU. His numerous diplomatic fumbles caused some friction within the EU, and while they probably did no lasting damage to Italy’s international reputation, they certainly damaged Berlusconi’s reputation across Europe and within Italy.
Regardless of one’s political persuasion, the results of these elections are an encouraging example of a democracy protecting its institutions and resisting the consolidation of too much power in any one individual. There was even widespread disapproval of a proposed tax cut at a time when Italy, with its huge budget deficit, could clearly not afford it. Even the usually safe conservative region of Lazio, the region that includes Rome, rejected this Berlusconi bribe.
I viewed these elections far from Rome, among the