“President of the Council of Ministers of Italy” redirects here. Not to be confused with President of the Italian Republic. Prime Minister of Italy Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri della Repubblica Italiana Flag of the President of the Council of Ministers Incumbent Silvio Berlusconi since 8 May 2008 Residence Palazzo Chigi Appointer President of the Republic Inaugural holder Camillo Benso di Cavour Formation 17 March 1861 Website www.governo.it Italian Republic This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Italy Constitution Constitution Gazzetta Ufficiale Executive President (List) Giorgio Napolitano Prime Minister (List) Silvio Berlusconi Council of Ministers Legislature Parliament Legislatures Senate of the Republic Chamber of Deputies Judiciary Constitutional Court Court of Cassation Court of Assizes Italian Council of State Italian Criminal Procedure Judiciary of Italy Divisions Regions Politics of Aosta Valley Politics of Piedmont Politics of Lombardy Politics of Veneto Politics of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol Politics of Friuli-Venezia Giulia Politics of Emilia-Romagna Politics of Liguria Politics of Tuscany Politics of Umbria Politics of Marche Politics of Molise Politics of Lazio Politics of Abruzzo Politics of Campania Politics of Apulia Politics of Calabria Politics of Sicily Politics of Sardinia Provinces Municipalities Elections General elections 1994 1996 2001 2006 2008 Referendums Political parties The People of Freedom Democratic Party Foreign policy Foreign relations European Union politics

Other countries · Atlas Politics portal view · talk · The Prime Minister of Italy (Italian: Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri, literally President of the Council of Ministers) is Italy's head of government. According to the formal Italian order of precedence, the position of prime minister is ceremonially the fourth most important Italian state office; however, in reality, the prime minister is the most powerful and thus truly most important person in the Italian government. This situation can mirror the position of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and indeed that of most other prime ministers, but the Italian prime minister is weaker than his counterparts. The Prime Minister of Italy may not ask for the dissolution of Parliament or dismiss ministers, and, for the large majority of political activity, must receive the vote of the Council of Ministers, which holds the effective executive power. The prime minister is a constitutional office, established by articles 92, 93, 94, 95, and 96 of the Italian Constitution. The prime minister is appointed by the President after the general election. The current prime minister is Silvio Berlusconi. Contents 1 Official title 2 Functions 3 See also 4 References 5 External links Official title

The title of Italy's head of government in Italian is Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri. Literally translated, this means "President of the Council of Ministers". However, because "prime minister" or "premier" is the more usual title in a parliamentary system for a head of government in English-speaking nations, the head of the Italian government is usually referred to by English speakers as the "Prime Minister of Italy". The office of prime minister was inherited by Italy directly from its predecessor State, the Kingdom of Sardinia, where the office was created in 1848, even if it was not part of the Constitution, the Albertine Statute. The position of prime minister, appointed by the King of Italy, was very unstable: in its first 60 years of existence, Italy changed its prime minister 37 times. In this situation, the first goal of Benito Mussolini when he reached the office, was to abolish the Parliament's ability to put him to a vote of no confidence, thus basing his power on the wills of the King and the Party only. With the proclamation of the Republic in 1946, the office received constitutional recognition, but it returned to its traditional instability: 38 men assumed the office in 63 years. Functions Cavour, first Italian Prime Minister.

In addition to powers inherent in being a member of the cabinet, the prime minister holds specific powers, the most notable of which include the nomination of a list of cabinet ministers to be appointed by the President of the Republic and the countersigning of all legislative instruments having the force of law that are signed by the President of the Republic. Article 95 of the Italian constitution provides that "the prime minister directs and coordinates the activity of the ministers". This power has been used to a quite variable extent in the history of the Italian state, as it is strongly influenced by the political strength of individual ministers and thus by the parties they represent. Often the prime minister's activity consists more in mediating between the various parties in the majority coalition, rather than directing the activity of the Council of Ministers. In addition, the prime minister's supervisory power is further limited by the fact that, at least formally, he or she does not have the authority to fire those ministers with whom he or she might be in disagreement. The practice of rimpasto ("reshuffle"), or the rarer "individual vote of no confidence" on the part of Parliament, may be considered substitute measures for this formally absent power.

More recently, the rise of a new mode of politics, which according to some is ever more linked to the mediating skills of politicians, and the enactment of majoritarian electoral laws have, in practice, given the prime minister a greater power to make decisions and to direct the internal dynamics of the government. This represents a notable novelty for the Italian political system. See also List of Prime Ministers of Italy List of Presidents of the Italian Republic Italian Minister of the Interior Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Italian Minister of Defense Italian Minister of Justice Italian Minister of Public Instruction Italian Minister of Health Italian Minister of Economy and Finance Italian Minister of Public Works Italian Minister of Transports Italian Minister of Economic Development Politics of Italy History of Italy Lists of incumbents References This article was translated from the equivalent article in Italian Wikipedia, retrieved 16 April 2006. External links Website of the Prime Minister of Italy List of Italian Prime Ministers, with information on length of term and party membership v · d · ePrime Minister of Italy Kingdom of Italy

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