Conversely, 42 per cent of respondents would prefer to form a Grand Coalition government, and 30 per cent would choose to hold a snap general election.

Italian voters renewed the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate in April 2008. Final results gave Berlusconi’s right-wing coalition—encompassing the Italian People of Freedom Party (PdL), the Northern League (LN), and the Movement for Autonomy (MPA)—344 seats in the lower house, and 174 seats in the upper house. The victory put an end to the government of the centre-left Union (Unione), headed by Romano Prodi.

Berlusconi was sworn in as the country’s new head of government in May 2008. He had previously served as prime minister from May 1994 to January 1995, and from June 2001 to May 2006.

In March 2009, the National Alliance (AN)—a political party with fascist roots—was officially dissolved and merged with Berlusconi’s PdL. The AN has been a steady supporter of the prime minister and was instrumental in Berlusconi’s latest electoral victory. AN leader Gianfranco Fini is the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies.

Since May, two members of Berlusconi’s cabinet have resigned: industry minister Claudio Scajola and minister without portfolio Aldo Brancher. Scajola stepped down over allegations of improper real-estate dealings, and Brancher was on trial in a case of embezzlement.

The governing coalition has recently faced in-fighting, with Fini creating a splinter movement in the legislature—called Future and Freedom for Italy (FLI)—which has criticized Berlusconi.

On Aug. 6, Fabrizio Cicchitto, leader of center-right parliamentarians in the Lower House, said Berlusconi will force a confidence vote in the fall to test the unity of the right-wing coalition, declaring, "In September, Berlusconi will present a platform based on a few points. We hope that a majority can be found to support them and renew the confidence in the government. Otherwise, at that point, there can be no alternative to elections."

Polling Data

Which of these options would you prefer for Italy’s political future?

Italian voters renewed the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate in April 2008. Final results gave Berlusconi’s right-wing coalition—encompassing the Italian People of Freedom Party (PdL), the Northern League (LN), and the Movement for Autonomy (MPA)—344 seats in the lower house, and 174 seats in the upper house. The victory put an end to the government of the centre-left Union (Unione), headed by Romano Prodi.

Berlusconi was sworn in as the country’s new head of government in May 2008. He had previously served as prime minister from May 1994 to January 1995, and from June 2001 to May 2006.

In March 2009, the National Alliance (AN)—a political party with fascist roots—was officially dissolved and merged with Berlusconi’s PdL. The AN has been a steady supporter of the prime minister and was instrumental in Berlusconi’s latest electoral victory. AN leader Gianfranco Fini is the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies.

Since May, two members of Berlusconi’s cabinet have resigned: industry minister Claudio Scajola and minister without portfolio Aldo Brancher. Scajola stepped down over allegations of improper real-estate dealings, and Brancher was on trial in a case of embezzlement.

Berlusconi has served as interim industry minister since Scajola’s resignation. Published media reports have suggested that several business personalities have declined invitations to fill the position. On Jul. 22, Berlusconi assured that he "is close" to appointing a new leader for the industry portfolio, saying, "I can anticipate we will name a new [industry] minister by the end of next week."

Polling Data

Do you have confidence in Silvio Berlusconi?

Source: IPR Marketing / La Repubblica
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 Italian adults, conducted from Jul. 17 to Jul. 19, 2010. No margin of error was provided.

Italian voters renewed the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate in April 2008. Final results gave Berlusconi’s right-wing coalition—encompassing the Italian People of Freedom Party (PdL), the Northern League (LN), and the Movement for Autonomy (MPA)—344 seats in the lower house, and 174 seats in the upper house. The victory put an end to the government of the centre-left Union (Unione), headed by Romano Prodi.

Berlusconi was sworn in as the country’s new head of government in May 2008. He had previously served as prime minister from May 1994 to January 1995, and from June 2001 to May 2006.

In March 2009, the National Alliance (AN)—a political party with fascist roots—was officially dissolved and merged with Berlusconi’s PdL. The AN has been a steady supporter of the prime minister and was instrumental in Berlusconi’s latest electoral victory. AN leader Gianfranco Fini is the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies.

On Jul. 8, Berlusconi said he will resign if his government loses a series of confidence votes on his proposed budget—which calls for severe cuts—declaring, "The decision to call the confidence vote on the budget has been an act of courage. If we don’t win, we go home."

Polling Data

Do you have confidence in Silvio Berlusconi?

Italian voters renewed the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate in April 2008. Final results gave Berlusconi’s right-wing coalition—encompassing the Italian People of Freedom Party (PdL), the Northern League (LN), and the Movement for Autonomy (MPA)—344 seats in the lower house, and 174 seats in the upper house. The victory put an end to the government of the centre-left Union (Unione), headed by Romano Prodi.

Berlusconi was sworn in as the country’s new head of government in May 2008. He had previously served as prime minister from May 1994 to January 1995, and from June 2001 to May 2006.

In March 2009, the National Alliance (AN)—a political party with fascist roots—was officially dissolved and merged with Berlusconi’s PdL. The AN has been a steady supporter of the prime minister and was instrumental in Berlusconi’s latest electoral victory. AN leader Gianfranco Fini is the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies.

On Apr. 22, during a PdL congress, Fini accused Berlusconi of providing too much influence to the NL, declaring, "I don’t like the house that I helped to create." The statement led to a public shouting match between the two politicians.

On Apr. 23, LN leader Umberto Bossi predicted "a vertical collapse of the government and probably the end of the alliance between the PDL and the Northern League."

Polling Data

Do you have confidence in Silvio Berlusconi?

The opposition centre-left alliance comprising the Democratic Party (PD) and Italy of Values (Lista di Pietro) is second with 37 per cent. Support is much lower for the Union of the Centre, Left and Freedom (SeL), the Left Refoundation (RpS) and the Alliance for Italy (Apl).

Italian voters renewed the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate in April 2008. Final results gave Silvio Berlusconi’s right-wing coalition 344 seats in the lower house, and 174 seats in the upper house. The victory put an end to the government of the centre-left Union (Unione), headed by Romano Prodi.

Berlusconi was sworn in as the country’s new head of government in May 2008. He had previously served as prime minister from May 1994 to January 1995, and from June 2001 to May 2006.

Last month, Berrlusconi discussed a series of reforms to the justice system and criticized judges, saying, "I don’t think it will please the Taliban in the judiciary. (…) Sovereignty no longer belongs to the people but to prosecutors."

Polling Data

If the national political election were held today, which party would you vote for?

Italian voters renewed the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate in April 2008. Final results gave Berlusconi’s right-wing coalition—encompassing the Italian People of Freedom Party (PdL), the Northern League (LN), and the Movement for Autonomy (MPA)—344 seats in the lower house, and 174 seats in the upper house. The victory put an end to the government of the centre-left Union (Unione), headed by Romano Prodi.

Berlusconi was sworn in as the country’s new head of government in May 2008. He had previously served as prime minister from May 1994 to January 1995, and from June 2001 to May 2006.

Last month, Berlusconi came up with a 10-step plan to defeat the Italian mafia, including the creation of an agency based in Reggio Calabria to manage confiscated assets. The Italian prime minister commented on this point, saying, "You have to go after their assets. If the Mafia buys them back, we will confiscate them again. The Mafia is a terrible pathology for our country."

Polling Data

Do you have confidence in Silvio Berlusconi?

The opposition centre-left alliance comprising the Democratic Party (PD) and Italy of Values (Lista di Pietro) is second with 36 per cent. Support is much lower for the Union of the Centre, the Left Refoundation (RpS), Left and Freedom (SeL), and the Radicals (R).

Italian voters renewed the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate in April 2008. Final results gave Silvio Berlusconi’s right-wing coalition 344 seats in the lower house, and 174 seats in the upper house. The victory put an end to the government of the centre-left Union (Unione), headed by Romano Prodi.

Berlusconi was sworn in as the country’s new head of government in May 2008. He had previously served as prime minister from May 1994 to January 1995, and from June 2001 to May 2006.

On Jan. 13, Berlusconi put down rumours that he was working on a plan to reduce the income tax, saying, "In this situation it is out of the question that we can talk about cutting taxes."

Polling Data

If a new election to the Chamber of Deputies took place, which party would you vote for?

Source: Digis
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 Italian adults, conducted on Jan. 8 to Jan. 9, 2010. No margin of error was provided.

The opposition centre-left alliance comprising the Democratic Party (PD), Italy of Values (Lista di Pietro), and the Pannella Bonino List (LPB) is second with 37 per cent. Support is much lower for the Union of the Centre, the Left Refoundation (RpS), Left and Freedom (SeL), and the Grillo National Movement (MNG).

Italian voters renewed the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate in April 2008. Final results gave Silvio Berlusconi’s right-wing coalition 344 seats in the lower house, and 174 seats in the upper house. The victory put an end to the government of the centre-left Union (Unione), headed by Romano Prodi.

Berlusconi was sworn in as the country’s new head of government in May 2008. He had previously served as prime minister from May 1994 to January 1995, and from June 2001 to May 2006.

On Dec. 13, while speaking at a rally in Milan, Berlusconi was attacked and hit in the face with a replica of the famous cathedral Duomo di Milano. He was then rushed to hospital with a fractured nose and two broken teeth. Authorities identified Massimo Tartaglia—a man with a history of mental illness—as the attacker and arrested him.

On Dec. 17, as he left the hospital, the prime minister declared: "Two things I will keep as a memory of these days: the hatred of a few and the love of many, so many Italians."

Polling Data

If the national political election were held today, which party would you vote for?

Source: Crespi Ricerche
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 Italian adults, conducted on Dec. 2 and Dec. 3, 2009. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

Italian voters renewed the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate in April 2008. Final results gave Berlusconi’s right-wing coalition—encompassing the Italian People of Freedom Party (PdL), the Northern League (LN), and the Movement for Autonomy (MPA)—344 seats in the lower house, and 174 seats in the upper house. The victory put an end to the government of the centre-left Union (Unione), headed by Romano Prodi.

Berlusconi was sworn in as the country’s new head of government in May 2008. He had previously served as prime minister from May 1994 to January 1995, and from June 2001 to May 2006.

The prime minister’s private life has been featured prominently in Italian and foreign media since May, when Veronica Lario—who has been married to Berlusconi for the past 19 years—said she would seek to divorce him after suggesting that he is "a man who frequents minors." Lario was referring to Berlusconi’s attendance to the birthday celebrations of 18-year-old aspiring actress Noemi Letizia, who confirmed the prime minister’s presence that day.

On Nov. 18, Berlusconi rejected the notion that a new legislative vote is in the works, declaring, "I am surprised to see reports that continue to make it seem that early elections are imminent. I have never considered anything like that."

Polling Data

Do you have confidence in Silvio Berlusconi?

Source: IPR Marketing / La Repubblica
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 Italian adults, conducted from Nov. 13 to Nov. 16, 2009. No margin of error was provided.

The opposition centre-left alliance comprising the Democratic Party (PD) and Italy of Values (Lista di Pietro) is second with 36.8 per cent. Support is much lower for the Union of the Centre, the Left Refoundation (RpS), Left and Freedom (SeL), and the Radicals (R).

Italian voters renewed the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate in April 2008. Final results gave Berlusconi’s right-wing coalition 344 seats in the lower house, and 174 seats in the upper house. The victory put an end to the government of the centre-left Union (Unione), headed by Romano Prodi.

Berlusconi was sworn in as the country’s new head of government in May 2008. He had previously served as prime minister from May 1994 to January 1995, and from June 2001 to May 2006.

The prime minister’s private life has been under the spotlight since May, when his wife of 19 years, Veronica Lario, filed for divorce and accused him of "frequenting minors." Several organizations have staged street protests lately rejecting what they see as Berlusconi’s demeaning behaviour towards women.

In late October, a rift within the governing coalition became apparent when Italian economy minister Giulio Tremonti threatened to resign because he was not notified of an announcement to cut a regional tax.

On Oct. 26, Umberto Bossi, leader of the LN, demanded that Berlusconi name Tremonti his deputy prime minister—a position that does not actually exist—in order to keep economic decisions in check, and adding, "Tremonti is a guarantee because he puts the brakes on big spenders in the government."

Polling Data

If a new election to the Chamber of Deputies took place, which party would you vote for?

Source: Digis
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 Italian adults, conducted on Nov. 6 to Nov. 7, 2009. No margin of error was provided.