Italian Politics after the 2001 General Election: Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose?

This article evaluates the electoral & political significance of the 2001 general election in Italy, which gave a clear-cut victory to a centre-Right coalition led by Silvio Berlusconi & his party, Forza Italia, & led to the creation of the second Berlusconi government. This is placed in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Parliamentary affairs 2002-10, Vol.55 (4), p.626-642
Main Authors: Newell, James L, Bull, Martin J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Elections
Italy
Parliament
Parliamentary elections
Political Change
Political conditions
Political philosophy
Political science
Politics
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Summary:This article evaluates the electoral & political significance of the 2001 general election in Italy, which gave a clear-cut victory to a centre-Right coalition led by Silvio Berlusconi & his party, Forza Italia, & led to the creation of the second Berlusconi government. This is placed in the broader context of the transition that Italian politics has been undergoing since the early 1990s, a period that marked the undermining of the long-term stabilities of the Italian political system. On the basis of an analysis of both the election & the experience of the government in its first year in office, the article argues that the election constitutes an important milestone in the Italian transition, although there still remains a fundamental obstacle in the way of the so-called "normalization" of politics in the coming period. 2 Tables. (Original abstract - amended)
ISSN:0031-2290
0031-2290
1460-2482
DOI:10.1093/parlij/55.4.626