Prodi I Cabinet

First Prodi cabinet

53rd cabinet of Italy
Date formed 17 May 1996
Date dissolved 21 October 1998
(887 days)
People and organisations
Head of state Oscar Luigi Scalfaro
Head of government Romano Prodi
Total no. of ministers 20
Member party Democratic Party of the Left (PDS)
Italian People's Party (PPI)
Italian Renewal (RI)
Federation of the Greens (FdV)
Democratic Union (UD)
Status in legislature Centre-left coalition
Opposition party Forza Italia
Lega Nord
Opposition leader Silvio Berlusconi
History
Election(s) 1996 election
Outgoing election 2001 election
Legislature term(s) 9 May 1996 - 30 May 2001 (XIII)
Incoming formation Prodi I Cabinet formation, 1996
Outgoing formation D'Alema I Cabinet formation, 1998
Predecessor Dini Cabinet
Successor D'Alema I Cabinet

The Prodi I Cabinet was the cabinet of the government of Italy from 17 May 1996 to 21 October 1998.

Formation

On 21 April 1996, the Olive Tree won 1996 general election in alliance with the Communist Refoundation Party (PRC), making Romano Prodi Prime Minister of Italy. It was the first time since 1946 that the Communists, now gathered in the Democratic Party of the Left, took part in the government of the country and one of their leaders, Walter Veltroni, who ran in ticket with Prodi in a long electoral campaign, was Deputy Prime Minister.

Besides the external support of PRC, the coalition received the support also of some minor parties: the Italian Republican Party (PRI, social-liberal), The Network (social-democratic), the South Tyrolean People's Party (regionalist and Christian democratic) and some other minor parties which later merged with PDS.

The average age of the ministers was 55.9 years and 14 ministers has parliamentary experience.[1] The number of female ministers was three.[1]

Fall

The government fell in 1998 when the Communist Refoundation Party withdrew its support. This led to the formation of a new government led by Massimo D'Alema as Prime Minister. There are those who claim that D'Alema deliberately engineered the collapse of the Prodi government to become Prime Minister himself. As the result of a vote of no confidence in Prodi's government, D'Alema's nomination was passed by a single vote. This was the first and so far, the only occasion in the history of the Italian republic on which a vote of no confidence had ever been called; the Republic's many previous governments had been brought down by a majority "no" vote on some crucially important piece of legislation (such as the budget).

Composition

Prime Minister

Portrait Office Name Term Party
Prime Minister
Romano Prodi
17 May 1996 – 21 October 1998
Independent

Ministers

Portrait Office Name Term Party
Minister of the Interior
Giorgio Napolitano
17 May 1996 – 21 October 1998
Democratic Party of the Left
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Lamberto Dini
17 May 1996 – 21 October 1998
Italian Renewal
Minister of Treasury and Budget
Carlo Azeglio Ciampi
17 May 1996 – 21 October 1998
Independent
Minister of Finance
Vincenzo Visco
17 May 1996 – 21 October 1998
Democratic Party of the Left
Minister of Defense
Beniamino Andreatta
17 May 1996 – 21 October 1998
Italian People's Party
Minister of Justice
Giovanni Maria Flick
17 May 1996 – 21 October 1998
Independent
Minister of Industry and Commerce
Pier Luigi Bersani
17 May 1996 – 21 October 1998
Democratic Party of the Left
Minister of Labour and Social Policies
Tiziano Treu
17 May 1996 – 21 October 1998
Italian Renewal
Minister of Public Works
Antonio Di Pietro
17 May 1996 – 20 November 1996
Independent
Paolo Costa
20 November 1996 – 21 October 1998
Independent
Minister of Transport
Claudio Burlando
17 May 1996 – 21 October 1998
Democratic Party of the Left
Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies
Michele Pinto
17 May 1996 – 21 October 1998
Italian People's Party
Minister of Education, University and Research
Luigi Berlinguer
17 May 1996 – 21 October 1998
Democratic Party of the Left
Minister of Health
Rosy Bindi
17 May 1996 – 21 October 1998
Italian People's Party
Minister of the Environment
Edo Ronchi
17 May 1996 – 21 October 1998
Federation of the Greens
Minister of Culture
Walter Veltroni
17 May 1996 – 21 October 1998
Democratic Party of the Left
Minister of Communications
Antonio Maccanico
17 May 1996 – 21 October 1998
Democratic Union
Minister of Foreign Trade
Augusto Fantozzi
17 May 1996 – 21 October 1998
Italian Renewal
Minister of Regional Affairs
Franco Bassanini
17 May 1996 – 21 October 1998
Democratic Party of the Left
Minister of Parliamentary Relations
Giorgio Bogi
17 May 1996 – 21 October 1998
Democratic Party of the Left
Minister of Equal Opportunities
Anna Finocchiaro
17 May 1996 – 21 October 1998
Democratic Party of the Left
Minister of Social Solidarity
Livia Turco
17 May 1996 – 21 October 1998
Democratic Party of the Left

Secretary of the Council

Portrait Office Name Term Party
Secretary of the Council of Ministers
Enrico Luigi Micheli
17 May 1996 – 21 October 1998
Italian People's Party

References

  1. 1 2 De Giorgi, Elisabetta; Francesco Marangoni (2009). "The First Year of Berlusconi's Fourth Government: Formation, Characteristics and Activities" (PDF). Bulletin of Italian Politics. 1 (1): 87–109.

Sources

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