Silvio Berlusconi's constitutional exercise

摘要

Most Italians do not want it. The oppo-sition hates it. President Carlo Aze-glio Ciampi and the governor of the Bank of Italy, Antonio Fazio, have both expressed concerns. The employers' leader has "many, many doubts"; union bosses have "grave misgivings". What they are talking about is an overhaul of Italy's 56-year-old constitution that has become the legislative centrepiece of the second half of Silvio Berlusconi's government. It has also given the prime minister a more tranquil autumn than once seemed likely. For over a month, Mr Berlusconi's followers have been voting through article after article of a bill to increase the clout of the prime minister and president at the expense of parliament, to change the way parliament makes laws and to confer new powers on Italy's 20 regions. Despite a row this week between the Northern League and the former neo-fascists, the National Alliance, patched up through the mediation of Mr Berlusconi, the bill was expected to clear Italy's lower house as The Economist went to press.