Renzi's tricky bargain

摘要

Seen from anywhere but Italy, it must appear bizarre. On January 18th Silvio Berlusconi, a right-wing former prime minister convicted of tax fraud and thrown out of parliament last year, was a guest of the centre-left Democratic Party (pd). Mr Berlusconi was welcomed with a "Benvenuto, president" by Matteo Renzi (pictured), the new leader of the pd, many of whose members are ex-communists. He was tactfully seated beneath a photo of Robert Kennedy (though he also had to look at another of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara). After two hours of talks, Mr Renzi declared that he and Mr Berlusconi were in "profound harmony" and announced an agreement that, if implemented, could bring much-needed political stability to a country that has been economically stagnant for over a decade. The two men agreed upon a new electoral law and an overhaul of the constitution. This would return to central government powers now exercised by the regions in transport and energy, and also make the Senate an indirectly elected chamber like Germany's Bundesrat, putting an end to the constitutional anomaly of upper and lower houses with identical powers. One reason why Italy is so difficult to reform is that draft laws are batted endlessly between the two.