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The year 2006 was by all means an "election" year: a significant proportion of voters were called to the polls three times. In at least two - the parliamentary elections of 9-10 April and the 25-26 June constitutional referendum - the voters' choices had extraordinary consequences. The parliamentary elections awarded victory to the center-left by the slimmest of margins, yet ushered in a radical change in government, whereas the referendum saw the rejection of the substantial revision of the Constitution that had been promoted by the previous center-right government. This volume deals with these elections and their effects, namely the changes in the government majority and the Presidency of the Republic, as well as the center-right's unsuccessful attempt at revenge in local elections through the constitutional referendum, both resulting in wide-ranging changes introduced by the new majority in foreign policy. Other significant events are also examined, such as the Russian natural gas crisis; the anti-high speed train movement; the capture of mafia don Bernardo Provenzano; the scandals that marred the world soccer in the year the national team won the World Cup; and the suspicious dealings involving telecommunications giant Telecom.
Jean-Louis Briquet is CNRS research director at Centre d'Etudes et de Recherches Internationales (CERI, Paris). He teaches Comparative Politics at the Ecole Normale Supérieure. He has recently published Mafia, justice et politique en Italie. L'affaire Andreotti dans la crise de la République (Paris, Karthala, 2007).
Introduction:The Center-Left’s Poisoned Victory
Jean-Louis Briquet and Alfio Mastropaolo
Chapter 1. The General Election of 9–10 April: A Country Divided in Half or in Lots of Different Pieces?
Ilvo Diamanti and Salvatore Vassallo
Chapter 2. Eviction Canceled: The 2006 Local Elections
Duncan McDonnell
Chapter 3. The Constitutional Referendum of June 2006: End of the “Great Reform” but Not of Reform Itself
Martin J. Bull
Chapter 4. From Ciampi to Napolitano
Marie-Claire Ponthoreau and Hervé Rayner
Chapter 5. The New Government and the Spoils System
Annarita Criscitiello
Chapter 6. The Israeli-Lebanese War: Italy and the Recasting of an Effective Multilateralism
Anna Caffarena
Chapter 7. Decision-Making in the Val di Susa Case: Too Rigid or Too Soft?
Luigi Bobbio
Chapter 8. Telecom Italia: The Parallel Returns (1997–2006)
Massimo Florio
Chapter 9. Energy Policy in Italy: Contingent Emergency and Structural Weakness
Alberto Clò
Chapter 10. Calciopoli: Reasons and Scenarios for the Soccer Scandal
Alessandro Baroncelli
Chapter 11. The Capture of Bernardo Provenzano
Salvatore Lupo
Documentary Appendix
Compiled by Debora Mantovani