Berlusconi II Cabinet
| Second Berlusconi cabinet | |
|---|---|
 57th cabinet of Italy |
|
 |
|
| Date formed | 11 June 2001 |
| Date dissolved | 23 April 2005 (1,412 days) |
| People and organisations | |
| Head of government | Silvio Berlusconi |
| Head of state | Carlo Azeglio Ciampi |
| Total no. of ministers | 23 |
| Member party |
Forza Italia (FI) National Alliance (AN) Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (UDC) Northern League (LN) |
| History | |
| Election(s) | 2001 election |
| Outgoing election | 2006 election |
| Legislature term(s) | 31 May 2001 - 28 April 2006 (XIV) |
| Incoming formation | Berlusconi II Cabinet formation, 2001 |
| Outgoing formation | Berlusconi II Cabinet formation, 2005 |
| Predecessor | Amato II Cabinet |
| Successor | Berlusconi III Cabinet |
The Berlusconi II Cabinet was the 57th cabinet of the Italian Republic, and the first cabinet of the XIV Legislature. It took office following the 2001 elections, and held office from 11 June 2001 until 23 April 2005, a total of 1,412 days, or 3 years, 10 months and 12 days. It held office for the longest period in the history of the Republic, and for the second longest period in the history of unified Italy since 1861 (outlasted only by the Mussolini government). During its long tenure, its composition changed significantly. Following the poor performance of the centrist parties in the Italian regional elections of 2005, most of the ministers of the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats and the Socialist Party - New PSI resigned from the government, which was succeeded by the Berlusconi III Cabinet.
In 2001 Berlusconi again ran as leader of the centre-right coalition House of Freedoms (Italian: La Casa delle Libertà), which included the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats, the Northern League, the National Alliance and other parties. Berlusconi's success in the May 2001 general election led to him becoming Prime Minister once more, with the coalition receiving 45.4% of the vote for the Chamber of Deputies and 42.5% for the Senate.
On the television interviews programme Porta a Porta, during the last days of the electoral campaign, Berlusconi created a powerful impression on the public by undertaking to sign a so-called Contratto con gli Italiani (English: Contract with the Italians), an idea copied outright by his advisor Luigi Crespi from the Newt Gingrich's Contract with America introduced six weeks before the 1994 US Congressional election, which was widely considered to be a creative masterstroke in his 2001 campaign bid for prime ministership. In this solemn agreement, Berlusconi claimed his commitment on improving several aspects of the Italian economy and life. Firstly, he undertook to simplify the complex tax system by introducing just two tax rates (33% for those earning over 100,000 euros, and 23% for anyone earning less than that figure: anyone earning less than 11,000 euros a year would not be taxed); secondly, he promised to halve the unemployment rate; thirdly, he undertook to finance and develop a massive new public works programme. Fourthly, he promised to raise the minimum monthly pension rate to 516 euros; and fifthly, he would suppress the crime wave by introducing police officers to patrol all local zones and areas in Italy's major cities. Berlusconi undertook to refrain from putting himself up for re-election in 2006 if he failed to honour at least four of these five promises.
...
Wikipedia