The Letta government was the 62nd government of the Italian Republic. In office from 28 April 2013 to 22 January 2014, it comprised ministers of the Democratic Party (PD), The People of Freedom (PdL), Civic Choice (SC), the Union of the Centre (UdC), one of the Italian Radicals (RI) and three non-party independents.
Letta government | |
|---|---|
 62nd Cabinet of Italy | |
 | |
| Date formed | 28 April 2013 |
| Date dissolved | 22 February 2014 (301 days) |
| People and organisations | |
| Head of state | Giorgio Napolitano |
| Head of government | Enrico Letta |
| No. of ministers | 22 (incl. Prime Minister) |
| Member parties | Until November 2013: PD, PdL, SC, UdC, RI After November 2013: PD, NCD, SC, PpI, UdC, RI |
| Status in legislature | Until November 2013: Supermajority (Grand coalition) Chamber of Deputies: 457 / 630 (73%)
Senate:242 / 320 (76%) After November 2013: Majority (coalition) Chamber of Deputies: 388 / 630 (62%)
Senate:173 / 320 (54%) |
| Opposition parties | M5S, LN, SEL, FdI, FI (after Nov. 2013) |
| History | |
| Election | 2013 election |
| Legislature term | XVII Legislature (2013–2018) |
| Predecessor | Monti government |
| Successor | Renzi government |
The government was referred to by journalists as a Grand coalition (Italian: Grande coalizione)[1] or Government of broad agreements (Italian: Governo di larghe intese).[2] At formation, the government benefited from a supermajority in the Italian Parliament, one of the largest in the history of the Italian Republic. It was the youngest government to date, with a median age of 53.[3] It was sworn in on 28 April 2013 and won the confidence vote in both the Chamber of Deputies on 29 April[4] and the Senate on 30 April.[5][6]
Formation and end
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The 2013 general election, held on 24–25 February, saw the rise of the Five Star Movement (M5S) and the lack of a common majority in both houses of Parliament. More specifically, the centre-left coalition (Italy. Common Good) was ahead of the centre-right coalition, but controlled a majority only in the Chamber of Deputies. The election was followed by weeks of deadlock, including various failed attempts either to elect a President to succeed Giorgio Napolitano and form a government, the establishment of a panel of experts by the President himself (the so-called "wise men") in order to outline priorities and formulate an agenda to deal with the persistent economic hardship and growing unemployment, and, ultimately, the resignation of Pier Luigi Bersani from secretary of the Democratic Party (PD).
On 22 April 2013 Napolitano, after being re-elected for an unprecedented second term, immediately started consultations. Two days later, the President gave Enrico Letta, deputy-secretary of the PD, the task of forming a government, having determined that Bersani could not.[7][8] Letta succeeded Mario Monti, who had resigned on 21 December 2012, but whose government remained in charge for ordinary administration until 28 April 2013, the day the new government was sworn in. During the ceremony, a man fired shots outside Palazzo Chigi and wounded two Carabinieri.[9] The cabinet was composed mainly by four parties: the PD, The People of Freedom (PdL), Civic Choice (SC) and the Union of the Centre (UdC). The fact that the new Prime Minister was a nephew of Gianni Letta, one of the most trusted advisors to Silvio Berlusconi, the leader of the PdL, was perceived as a way of overcoming the bitter hostility between the two opposing camps.[10]
However, on 28 September, Berlusconi asked his party's five ministers to resign from the government over a tax hike.[11] On 15 November 2013, Berlusconi, who would be soon stripped of his seat in the Senate with PD's votes due to his conviction for tax fraud,[12] announced the re-foundation of Forza Italia (FI), in opposition to the government, and the PdL split.[13] In fact, all five PdL ministers, led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Angelino Alfano, joined the New Centre-Right (NCD) party.[14] The same week, also SC suffered a split, with its minister Mario Mauro leaving the party, founding the Populars for Italy (PpI) and, nevertheless, keeping his post.[15]
The Letta government lasted until 22 February 2014 (for a total of 300 days). The government fell apart after the PD retired its support. Since December 2013 the party had been led by Matteo Renzi, the 39-year-old mayor of Florence nicknamed "the scrapper". Renzi succeeded Letta and formed the Renzi government.
Investiture votes
edit| 29–30 April 2013 Investiture votes for the Letta Cabinet | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| House of Parliament | Vote | Parties | Votes |
| Chamber of Deputies[16] (Voting: 623[a] of 629, Majority: 304) |
 Yes |
PD (291), FI (97), CeI (45), LN (2), Others (18) | 453 / 623
|
 No |
M5S (109), SEL (35), FdI (8), LN (1), Others (2) | 153 / 623
| |
| Abstention | LN (17) | 17 / 623
| |
| Senate of the Republic[17] (Voting: 310[b] of 319, Majority: 156) |
Yes |
PD (106), FI (89), CeI (21), Aut (9), GAL–UDC (8) | 233 / 310
|
| No |
M5S (53), Others (6) | 59 / 310
| |
| Abstention | LN (16), GAL–UDC (2) | 18 / 310
| |
Party breakdown
editBeginning of term
editMinisters
edit10
| |
5
| |
3
| |
2
| |
1
| |
1
|
Ministers and other members
edit- Democratic Party (PD): Prime minister, 9 ministers, 5 deputy ministers, 12 undersecretaries
- The People of Freedom (PdL): 5 ministers, 2 deputy ministers, 10 undersecretaries
- Independents: 3 ministers, 2 deputy ministers, 5 undersecretaries
- Civic Choice (SC): 2 ministers, 1 deputy minister, 2 undersecretaries
- Union of the Centre (UdC): 1 minister, 1 undersecretary
- Italian Radicals (RI): 1 minister
- Great South (GS): 1 undersecretary
- Moderates in Revolution (MiR): 1 undersecretary
End of term
editMinisters
edit9
| |
4
| |
3
| |
1
| |
1
| |
1
| |
1
|
Ministers and other members
edit- Democratic Party (PD): Prime minister, 8 ministers, 4 deputy ministers, 12 undersecretaries
- New Centre-Right (NCD): 4 ministers, 1 deputy minister, 7 undersecretaries
- Independents: 3 ministers, 2 deputy ministers, 5 undersecretaries
- Civic Choice (SC): 1 minister, 1 deputy minister, 1 undersecretary
- Populars for Italy (PpI): 1 minister, 1 undersecretary
- Union of the Centre (UdC): 1 minister, 1 undersecretary
- Italian Radicals (RI): 1 minister
Council of Ministers
editComposition
edit
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References
edit- ^ "Letta: Grande coalizione, bisogna farsene una ragione". Archived from the original on 8 October 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
- ^ Colarusso, Gabriella (20 April 2013). "Napolitano bis: verso un governo di larghe intese". Lettera43. Archived from the original on 30 January 2019.
- ^ Dionisi, Brenda (9 May 2013). "It's a governissimo!". The Florentine (183). Archived from the original on 10 December 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
- ^ "Premier Enrico Letta wins confidence vote in House". ANSA. 29 April 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
- ^ "Letta wins Senate confidence too". ANSA. 30 April 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
- ^ "Factbox: Key ministers in Enrico Letta's new Italian government". Reuters. 27 April 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
- ^ Frye, Andrew (24 April 2013). "Letta Named Italian Prime Minister as Impasse Ends". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
- ^ "Italy PM-designate Enrico Letta agrees new government". BBC. 27 April 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
- ^ "New Italian 'grand coalition' government sworn in". BBC News. 28 April 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
- ^ "Bridge-builder Enrico Letta seals Silvio Berlusconi deal". The Australian. 29 April 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
- ^ Berlusconi fa dimettere i ministri Letta: gesto folle per motivi personali Corriere della Sera
- ^ "Berlusconi expelled from Italian parliament over tax fraud". Reuters. 27 November 2013.
- ^ "Silvio Berlusconi's heir Angelino Alfano forms new party in Italy", The Independent, 15 November 2013, archived from the original on 14 June 2022
- ^ "Alfano lancia il Nuovo centrodestra: "No a Fi per me scelta dolorosa. No a decadenza Berlusconi"", Il Messaggero, 16 November 2013
- ^ "Mauro presenta i Popolari per l'Italia: "Elettori in comune con Ncd, ma idee diverse"", Corriere della Sera, 23 November 2013
- ^ "XVII Legislatura – XVII Legislatura – Lavori – Resoconti Assemblea – Dettaglio sedute". camera.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2 August 2019.
- ^ "Legislatura 17ª – Aula – Resoconto stenografico della seduta n. 017 del 30/04/2013". senato.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2 August 2019.
External links
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Media related to Letta Cabinet at Wikimedia Commons
