The
Prime Minister of Italy (Italian:
Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri, literally translated "
President of the Council of Ministers") is
Italy's
head of government. According to the formal
Italian order of precedence, the position of
prime minister is ceremonially the fourth most important Italian state office; however, in reality, the prime minister is the most powerful and thus truly most important person in the Italian government. This situation can mirror the position of the
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and indeed that of most other prime ministers, but Italian PM is weaker than the major part of his colleagues: he can't ask for the dissolution of Parliament, he can't dismiss his ministers and, for the large majority of his political activity, he must receive the vote of his
Council of Ministers, which holds the effective Executive Power.
The prime minister is a constitutional office, established by articles
92,
93,
94,
95, and
96 of the
Italian Constitution. The prime minister is appointed by the
President. The current prime minister is
Silvio Berlusconi.
The seat of the government is in
Palazzo Chigi, located at
Piazza Colonna in
Rome.
Official title
The title of Italy's head of government in Italian is
Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri. Literally translated, this means "
President of the Council of Ministers". However, because "
prime minister" or "
premier" is the more usual title in a parliamentary system for a head of government in English-speaking nations, the head of the Italian government is usually referred to by English speakers as the "Prime Minister of Italy".
The office of prime minister was inheredited by Italy directly from its
predecessor State, the
Kingdom of Sardinia, where the office was created in 1848, even if it was not part of the Constitution, the
Albertine Statute. The position of prime minister, appointed by the
King of Italy, was very unstable: in its first 60 years of existence, Italy changed its prime minister 37 times. In this situation, the first goal of
Benito Mussolini when he reached the office, was to abolish the Parliament's ability to him to a
vote of no confidence, thus basing his power on the wills of the King and the
Party only. With the proclametion of the Republic in 1946, the office received constitutional recognition, but it returned to its traditional instability: 38 men assumed the office in 63 years.
Functions
thumb|200px|left|[[Camillo Benso di Cavour|Cavour, first Italian Prime Minister.]]
In addition to powers inherent in being a member of the cabinet, the prime minister holds specific powers, the most notable of which include the nomination of a list of cabinet ministers to be appointed by the President of the Republic and the countersigning of all legislative instruments having the force of law that are signed by the President of the Republic.
Logo of the Italian Government
Article 95 of the Italian constitution provides that "the prime minister directs and coordinates the activity of the ministers". This power has been used to a quite variable extent in the history of the Italian state, as it is strongly influenced by the political strength of individual ministers and thus by the parties they represent.
Often the prime minister's activity consists more in mediating between the various parties in the majority coalition, rather than directing the activity of the Council of Ministers. In addition, the prime minister's supervisory power is further limited by the fact that, at least formally, he or she does not have the authority to fire those ministers with whom he or she might be in disagreement. The practice of
rimpasto ("reshuffle"), or the rarer "individual
vote of no confidence" on the part of Parliament, may be considered substitute measures for this formally absent power.
More recently, the rise of a new mode of politics, which according to some is ever more linked to the mediating skills of politicians, and the enactment of majoritarian electoral laws have, in practice, given the prime minister a greater power to make decisions and to direct the internal dynamics of the government. This represents a notable novelty for the Italian political system.
The prime minister also chairs the
COPACO, a committee for the co-ordination of
Italian intelligence agencies.
See also
