Berlusconi III Cabinet
| Third Berlusconi cabinet | |
|---|---|
 58th cabinet of Italy |
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| Date formed | 23 April 2005 |
| Date dissolved | 17 May 2006 (390 days) |
| People and organisations | |
| Head of government | Silvio Berlusconi |
| Head of state | Carlo Azeglio Ciampi |
| Total no. of ministers | 24 |
| Member party |
Forza Italia (FI) National Alliance (AN) Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (UDC) Northern League (LN) Italian Republican Party (PRI) New PSI (NPSI) |
| History | |
| Election(s) | 2001 election |
| Outgoing election | 2006 election |
| Legislature term(s) | 31 May 2001 - 28 April 2006 (XIV) |
| Incoming formation | Berlusconi III Cabinet formation, 2005 |
| Outgoing formation | Prodi II Cabinet formation, 2006 |
| Predecessor | Berlusconi II Cabinet |
| Successor | Prodi II Cabinet |
The Berlusconi III Cabinet was the cabinet of the government of Italy from 23 April 2005 to 17 May 2006. It was the 58th cabinet of the Italian Republic, and the second cabinet of the XIV Legislature.
House of Freedoms did not do as well in the 2003 local elections as it did in the 2001 national elections. In common with many other European governing groups, in the 2004 elections of the European Parliament, gaining 43.37% support. Forza Italia's support was also reduced from 29.5% to 21.0% (in the 1999 European elections Forza Italia had 25.2%). As an outcome of these results the other coalition parties, whose electoral results were more satisfactory, asked Berlusconi and Forza Italia for greater influence in the government's political line.
In the 2005 regional elections (3-4 April 2005), the centre-left gubernatorial candidates won in 12 out of 14 regions where control of local governments and governorships was at stake. Berlusconi's coalition kept only two of the regional bodies (Lombardy and Veneto) up for re-election. Three parties, Union of Christian and Centre Democrats, National Alliance and Socialist Party - New PSI, threatened to withdraw from the Berlusconi government. The Italian Premier, after some hesitation, then presented to the President of the Republic a request for the dissolution of his government on 20 April 2005. On 23 April he formed a new government with the same allies, reshuffling ministers and amending the government programme. A key point required by the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (and to a lesser extent by National Alliance) for their continued support was that the strong focus on tax reduction central to the government's ambitions be changed.
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