The Italian Parliamentary Opposition: From Conflict to Cooperation?

This paper will focus on the government-opposition relationship in Italy during the difficult period following the emergence of the financial crisis in 2008 - a period which has also been characterised by relevant transformations in the political scenario. Although the XVI legislature had begun (in May 2008) with the clear affirmation of a centre-right coalition and the return to power of Silvio Berlusconi, his personal problems, followed by the emergence of the first signs of the global financial crisis, led to his resignation of in November 2011 and opened the way for the appointment of a new technocratic government led by the former European commissioner Mario Monti. The new executive was supported by a composite parliamentary majority, with the centre-right People of Freedom and the centre left Democratic Party sitting together. Taking such a changing scenario into account, the empirical objectives of the present paper are the following: first, we will illustrate the behaviour of the centre-left opposition towards the fourth Berlusconi’s government; second, we will try to understand the level of the opposition’s coordination during the whole crisis period (political and technocratic governments). Thirdly, we will try to explore the expectations of the parties supporting the technocratic cabinet formed by Mr. Monti in November 2011, and those of the parties which did not. Finally, we will measure the magnitude of intra-party opposition, and inter-party agreement, as the Monti government proceeded with its reforming agenda.