Italy: a government under constraint

October 27, 2022

The President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella rightly noted that the time for the formation of the government which was sworn in on Sunday morning was short. Giorgia Meloni, despite the difficulties raised by her allies in recent days, has put together a list of ministers who will have to demonstrate in the coming months the necessary competence expected of them to manage the complex problems that Italy has to face, particularly on the economic front jostled by inflation and energy costs, and on that of international relations, marked by the violent conflict on the eastern front of the old continent of which there is unfortunately no foreseeable rapid end.
The presence of Mario Draghi at the head of the previous government characterized until the last day a phase of political life in which the Italian nation played a leading role, especially within the European Union, thanks to the reputation and the leadership of the former President of the ECB, which enabled Rome to often play a leading role vis-à-vis its European partners. It will not be easy, despite promises, to maintain the same reputation and the same role for the leaders of the new government, and therefore to defend Italy’s interests, as has been the case over the past year and half. Even if the recent declarations of Giorgia Meloni and the choice of ministers such as Giorgetti (economy) and Crosetto (defense) are a sign of the good intentions of the successor to Draghi.
The role of “technicians” in the government team – a term used to designate members of the executive who do not come from a political career – has been the subject of much discussion.
However, it is interesting to note the results of a recent survey by Alessandra Ghisleri from which it emerges that “73.8 of citizens would feel reassured by the presence of technicians in the future government [celui qui était en préparation] while the simple choice of skill would disappoint about one in four voters (26.2%)”. In short, the preference for politicians seems to be more that of politicians than that of citizens.
The executive will not be confronted with an opposition capable of complicating its life, as is the case in France after the last legislative elections. On the contrary, the Prime Minister will have to be wary of her allies, as we have already seen during the preparations for the formation of the government. The democracy of the polls, which has now largely replaced that of the parties, if it continues to register a further decline in the League of Salvini, will certainly give rise to turbulence within the governing alliance and Giorgia Meloni will have to confirm the qualities she has demonstrated in recent days. They will also be necessary to combat the negative prejudices that exist in several Western countries, due to its past positions.

What do his voters want, what mandate have they given him? A poll carried out by IPSOS helps to temper the image of an Italy in which the majority of Giorgia Meloni’s voters identify with the radical right. Indeed, it turns out that more than half of the citizens who chose to vote for the Fratelli d’Italia (52%) define themselves as centre-right, while only 31% place themselves on the right altogether.

Sovereignty preached in the past by two of the parties forming the government coalition is an empty term if we take into account that a sovereign state is one that prints its own currency – like the United States or Japan – while one EU member state has delegated this function to the Central Bank of the Union and agreements between member states. Governments elected by citizens, such as those in Italy and Germany, are accountable to two constituencies : their voters and the markets that finance the public debt. Even the United Kingdom, which left the European Union and boasted of its regained sovereignty, has just experienced the disastrous consequences for its economy of the irresponsible management of public finances, which forced Prime Minister Liz Truss to resign immediately. This gives us a pretty good idea of ​​the possibilities left to political adventurism today. The voters want seriousness, the markets do not forgive improvisation.