# Second Prodi government

The second Prodi government was the cabinet of the government of Italy from 17 May 2006 to 8 May 2008, a total of 722 days, or 1 year, 11 months and 21 days. The 59th cabinet of the Italian Republic, it was the only cabinet of the XV Legislature.
It was composed of 24 ministers, 10 deputy-ministers and 66 under-secretaries, for a total of 102 members.
This was the first government of the Republic in which the Communist Refoundation Party and the Italian Radicals participated directly, and the first government supported by the entire parliamentary left wing since the De Gasperi III Cabinet in 1947.

## Formation

Romano Prodi led his coalition to the electoral campaign preceding the election, eventually won by a very narrow margin of 25,000 votes, and a final majority of two seats in the Senate, on 10 April. Prodi's appointment was somewhat delayed, as the outgoing President of the Republic, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, ended his mandate in May, not having enough time for the usual procedure (consultations made by the President, appointment of a Prime Minister, motion of confidence and oath of office). After the acrimonious election of Giorgio Napolitano to replace Ciampi, Prodi could proceed with his transition to government. On 16 May he was invited by Napolitano to form a government. The following day, 17 May 2006, Prodi and his second cabinet were sworn into office.
Romano Prodi obtained the support for his cabinet on 19 May at the Senate and on 23 May at the Chamber of Deputies. Also on 18 May, Prodi laid out some sense of his new foreign policy when he pledged to withdraw Italian troops from Iraq and called the Iraq War a "grave mistake that has not solved but increased the problem of security".

## First crisis

The coalition led by Romano Prodi, thanks to the electoral law which gave the winner a sixty-seat majority, can count on a good majority in the Chamber of Deputies but only on a very narrow majority in the Senate. The composition of the coalition was heterogeneous, combining parties of communist ideology, the Party of Italian Communists and Communist Refoundation Party, within the same government as parties of Catholic inspiration, The Daisy and UDEUR. The latter was led by Clemente Mastella, former chairman of Christian Democracy. Therefore, according to critics, it was difficult to have a single policy in different key areas, such as economics and foreign politics (for instance, Italian military presence in Afghanistan). In his earlier months as PM, Prodi had a key role in the creation of a multinational peacekeeping force in Lebanon following the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict.
Prodi's government faced a crisis over policies in early 2007, after just nine months of government. Three ministers in Prodi's Cabinet boycotted a vote in January to continue funding for Italian troop deployments in Afghanistan. Lawmakers approved the expansion of the US military base Caserma Ederle at the end of January, but the victory was so narrow that Deputy Prime Minister Francesco Rutelli criticised members of the coalition who had not supported the government. At around the same time, Justice Minister Clemente Mastella, of the coalition member UDEUR, said he would rather see the government fall than support its unwed couples legislation.
Tens of thousands of people marched in Vicenza against the expansion of Caserma Ederle, which saw the participation of some leading far-left members of the government. Harsh debates followed in the Italian Senate on 20 February 2007. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Massimo D'Alema declared during an official visit in Ibiza, Spain that, without a majority on foreign policy affairs, the government would resign. The following day, D'Alema gave a speech at the Senate representing the government, clarifying his foreign policy and asking the Senate to vote for or against it. In spite of the fear of many senators that Prodi's defeat would return Silvio Berlusconi to power, the Senate did not approve a motion backing Prodi's government foreign policy, two votes shy of the required majority of 160.
After a Government meeting on 21 February, Romano Prodi tendered his resignation to the President Giorgio Napolitano, who cut short an official visit to Bologna in order to receive the Prime Minister. Prodi's spokesman indicated that he would only agree to form a new Government "if, and only if, he is guaranteed the full support of all the parties in the majority from now on". On 22 February, centre-left coalition party leaders backed a non-negotiable list of twelve political conditions given by Prodi as conditions of his remaining in office. President Napolitano held talks with political leaders on 23 February to decide whether to confirm Prodi's Government, ask Prodi to form a new government or call fresh elections.
Following these talks, on 24 February, President Napolitano asked Prodi to remain in office but to submit to a vote of confidence in both houses. On 28 February, the Senate voted to grant confidence to Prodi's Government. Though facing strong opposition from the centre-right coalition, the vote resulted in a 162–157 victory. Prodi then faced a vote of confidence in the lower house on 2 March, which he won as expected with a large majority of 342–198.
On 14 October 2007, Prodi oversaw the merger of two main parties of the Italian centre-left, Democrats of the Left and The Daisy, creating the Democratic Party. Prodi himself led the merger of the two parties, which had been planned over a twelve-year period, and became the first President of the party. He announced his resignation from that post on 16 April 2008, two days after the Democratic Party's defeat in the general election.

## Fall

On 24 January 2008 Prime Minister of Italy Romano Prodi lost a vote of confidence in the Senate by a vote of 161 to 156 with one abstention, causing the downfall of his government. Prodi's resignation led President Giorgio Napolitano to request the President of the Senate, Franco Marini, to assess the possibility to form a caretaker government. The other possibility would have been to call for early elections immediately. Marini acknowledged impossibility to form an interim government due to the unavailability of the centre-right parties, and early elections were scheduled for 13 and 14 April 2008.

## Investiture votes

19–23 May 2006 Investiture votes for Prodi II Cabinet :
| House of Parliament | Vote | Parties | Votes |
| Senate of the Republic | Y Yes | The Olive Tree, PRC, Together with the Union, IdV, SVP–PATT–ALD, UDEUR, PDM, Others | 165 / 320 |
| Senate of the Republic | N No | FI, AN, UDC, LN, DCA, MpA | 155 / 320 |
| Chamber of Deputies | Y Yes | The Olive Tree, PRC, IdV, RnP, PdCI, FdV, UDEUR (14), SVP–PATT–ALD, Others | 344 / 612 |
| Chamber of Deputies | N No | FI, AN, UDC, LN, DCA-NPSI, MpA | 268 / 612 |

## Party breakdown
### Beginning of term
#### Ministers

| Democrats of the Left | 9 |
| Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy | 8 |
| Independents | 2 |
| Communist Refoundation Party | 1 |
| Rose in the Fist | 1 |
| Italy of Values | 1 |
| Party of Italian Communists | 1 |
| Federation of the Greens | 1 |
| Union of Democrats for Europe | 1 |

#### Ministers and other members

* Independents (Olive Tree area): Prime minister, 1 minister, 4 undersecretaries
* Democrats of the Left (DS): 9 ministers, 5 deputy ministers, 23 undersecretaries
* Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy (DL): 8 ministers, 3 deputy ministers, 18 undersecretaries
* Communist Refoundation Party (PRC): 1 minister, 1 deputy minister, 6 undersecretaries
* Rose in the Fist (RnP): 1 minister, 1 deputy minister, 3 undersecretaries
** Italian Radicals (RI): 1 minister
** Italian Democratic Socialists (SDI): 1 deputy minister, 3 undersecretaries
* Italy of Values (IdV): 1 minister, 2 undersecretaries
* Independents (PdCI area): 1 minister, 2 undersecretaries
* Federation of the Greens (FdV): 1 minister, 2 undersecretaries
* Independents: 1 ministers, 6 undersecretaries
* Union of Democrats for Europe (UDEUR): 1 minister, 2 undersecretaries
* Lega per l'Autonomia – Alleanza Lombarda (LAL): 1 undersecretary
* The Socialists: 1 undersecretary
* United Democratic Christians (DCU): 1 undersecretary

### End of term
#### Ministers

| Democratic Party | 19 |
| Independents | 2 |
| Communist Refoundation Party | 1 |
| Democratic Left | 1 |
| Federation of the Greens | 1 |
| Italy of Values | 1 |
| Italian Radicals | 1 |

#### Ministers and other members

* Democratic Party (PD): Prime minister, 18 ministers, 8 deputy ministers, 40 undersecretaries
* Communist Refoundation Party (PRC): 1 minister, 1 deputy minister, 6 undersecretaries
* Democratic Left (SD): 1 minister, 3 undersecretaries
* Federation of the Greens (FdV): 1 minister, 2 undersecretaries
* Italy of Values (IdV): 1 minister, 2 undersecretaries
* Independents: 1 ministers, 2 undersecretaries
* Independents (PdCI area): 1 minister, 1 undersecretary
* Italian Radicals (RI): 1 minister
* Socialist Party (PS): 1 deputy minister, 3 undersecretaries
* Lega per l'Autonomia – Alleanza Lombarda (LAL): 1 undersecretary
* The Italian Socialists (SI): 1 undersecretary
* United Democratic Christians (DCU): 1 undersecretary

## Council of Ministers

| Office | Name | Party | Term |
| Prime Minister | Romano Prodi | Ind. / PD | 2006–2008 |
| Deputy Prime Minister | Massimo D'Alema | DS / PD | 2006–2008 |
| Deputy Prime Minister | Francesco Rutelli | DL / PD | 2006–2008 |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Massimo D'Alema | DS / PD | 2006–2008 |
| Minister of the Interior | Giuliano Amato | Ind. / PD | 2006–2008 |
| Minister of Justice | Clemente Mastella | UDEUR | 2006–2008 |
| Minister of Justice | Romano Prodi (ad interim) | PD | 2008 |
| Minister of Justice | Luigi Scotti | Ind. | 2008 |
| Minister of Economy and Finance | Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa | Ind. | 2006–2008 |
| Minister of Economic Development | Pier Luigi Bersani | DS / PD | 2006–2008 |
| Minister of University and Research | Fabio Mussi | DS / SD | 2006–2008 |
| Minister of Public Education | Giuseppe Fioroni | DL / PD | 2006–2008 |
| Minister of European Affairs and International Trade | Emma Bonino | RnP | 2006–2008 |
| Minister of Labour and Social Security | Cesare Damiano | DS / PD | 2006–2008 |
| Minister of Social Solidarity | Paolo Ferrero | PRC | 2006–2008 |
| Minister of Defence | Arturo Parisi | DL / PD | 2006–2008 |
| Minister of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies | Paolo De Castro | DL / PD | 2006–2008 |
| Minister of the Environment | Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio | FdV | 2006–2008 |
| Minister of Infrastructure | Antonio Di Pietro | IdV | 2006–2008 |
| Minister of Transport | Alessandro Bianchi | PdCI | 2006–2008 |
| Minister of Health | Livia Turco | DS / PD | 2006–2008 |
| Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities | Francesco Rutelli | DL / PD | 2006–2008 |
| Minister of Communications | Paolo Gentiloni | DL / PD | 2006–2008 |
| Minister of Regional Affairs | Linda Lanzillotta | DL / PD | 2006–2008 |
| Minister for the Implementation of the Government Program | Giulio Santagata | DL / PD | 2006–2008 |
| Minister of Public Administration | Luigi Nicolais | DS / PD | 2006–2008 |
| Minister for Equal Opportunities | Barbara Pollastrini | DS / PD | 2006–2008 |
| Minister for Parliamentary Relations and Institutional Reforms | Vannino Chiti | DS / PD | 2006–2008 |
| Minister for Family | Rosy Bindi | DL / PD | 2006–2008 |
| Minister of Youth Policies and Sport | Giovanna Melandri | DS / PD | 2006–2008 |
| Secretary of the Council of Ministers | Enrico Letta | DL / PD | 2006–2008 |

## Composition

| Office | Name | Term of office | Party |
| Prime Minister | Romano Prodi | 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008 | Democratic Party Before 14 October 2007: Independent |
| Undersecretaries Enrico Luigi Micheli (PD) – Delegated to the Security of the Republic Fabio Gobbo (Ind.) – Delegated to the CIPE and Supervision of the Economical Affairs for the Presidency of the Council (until 6 April 2008) Ricardo Franco Levi (PD) – Delegated to Information, Communications and Publishing |||||
| Deputy Prime Minister | Massimo D'Alema | 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008 | Democratic Party Before 14 October 2007: Democrats of the Left |
| Deputy Prime Minister | Francesco Rutelli | 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008 | Democratic Party Before 14 October 2007: The Daisy |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Massimo D'Alema | 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008 | Democratic Party Before 14 October 2007: Democrats of the Left |
| Deputy Ministers Ugo Intini (PS) Patrizia Sentinelli (PRC) Franco Danieli (PD) Undersecretaries Famiano Crucianelli (SD) Donato Di Santo (PD) Gianni Vernetti (PD) Bobo Craxi (SI) |||||
| Minister of the Interior | Giuliano Amato | 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008 | Democratic Party Before 14 October 2007: Independent |
| Deputy Minister Marco Minniti (PD) Undersecretaries Marcella Lucidi (PD) Ettore Rosato (PD) Alessandro Pajno (Ind.) Franco Bonato (PRC) |||||
| Minister of Justice | Clemente Mastella | 17 May 2006 – 17 January 2008 | Union of Democrats for Europe |
| Minister of Justice | Romano Prodi (Acting) | 17 January 2008 – 7 February 2008 | Democratic Party |
| Minister of Justice | Luigi Scotti | 7 February 2008 – 8 May 2008 | Independent |
| Undersecretaries Luigi Manconi (PD) Alberto Maritati (PD) Daniela Melchiorre (LD) (until 11 March 2008) Luigi Scotti (Ind.) (until 6 February 2008) Luigi Li Gotti (IdV) |||||
| Minister of Defence | Arturo Parisi | 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008 | Democratic Party Before 14 October 2007: The Daisy |
| Undersecretaries Lorenzo Forcieri (PD) Emidio Casula (PS) Marco Verzaschi (UDEUR) (until 7 December 2007) |||||
| Minister of Economy and Finance | Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa | 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008 | Independent |
| Deputy Ministers Vincenzo Visco (PD) Roberto Pinza (PD) Undersecretaries Massimo Tononi (PD) Paolo Cento (FdV) Mario Lettieri (PD) Alfiero Grandi (SD) Antonangelo Casula (PD) Nicola Sartor (Ind.) |||||
| Minister of Economic Development | Pier Luigi Bersani | 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008 | Democratic Party Before 14 October 2007: Democrats of the Left |
| Deputy Minister Sergio D'Antoni (PD) Undersecretaries Filippo Bubbico (PD) Alfonso Gianni (PRC) Paolo Giaretta (PD) (until 24 April 2007) Marco Stradiotto (PD) (since 24 April 2007) |||||
| Minister of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies | Paolo De Castro | 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008 | Democratic Party Before 14 October 2007: The Daisy |
| Undersecretaries Guido Tampieri (PD) Stefano Boco (FdV) Giovanni Mongiello (DCU) |||||
| Minister of the Environment | Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio | 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008 | Federation of the Greens |
| Undersecretaries Gianni Piatti (PD) Bruno Dettori (PD) Laura Marchetti (PRC) |||||
| Minister of Infrastructure | Antonio Di Pietro | 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008 | Italy of Values |
| Deputy Minister Angelo Capodicasa (PD) Undersecretaries Luigi Meduri (PD) Tommaso Casillo (PS) |||||
| Minister of Transport | Alessandro Bianchi | 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008 | Party of Italian Communists |
| Deputy Minister Cesare De Piccoli (PD) Undersecretaries Andrea Annunziata (PD) Raffaele Gentile (PS) |||||
| Minister of Labour and Social Security | Cesare Damiano | 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008 | Democratic Party Before 14 October 2007: Democrats of the Left |
| Undersecretaries Antonio Montagnino (PD) Rosa Rinaldi (PRC) |||||
| Minister of Public Education | Giuseppe Fioroni | 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008 | Democratic Party Before 14 October 2007: The Daisy |
| Deputy Minister Mariangela Bastico (PD) Undersecretaries Gaetano Pascarella (PD) Letizia De Torre (PD) |||||
| Minister of University and Research | Fabio Mussi | 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008 | Democratic Left Before 5 May 2007: Democrats of the Left |
| Undersecretaries Luciano Modica (PD) Nando Dalla Chiesa (PD) |||||
| Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities | Francesco Rutelli | 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008 | Democratic Party Before 14 October 2007: The Daisy |
| Undersecretaries Elena Montecchi (PD) Andrea Marcucci (PD) Danielle Mazzonis (PRC) |||||
| Minister of Health | Livia Turco | 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008 | Democratic Party Before 14 October 2007: Democrats of the Left |
| Undersecretaries Serafino Zucchelli (PD) Antonio Gaglione (PD) Gian Paolo Patta (Ind.) |||||
| Minister of Communications | Paolo Gentiloni | 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008 | Democratic Party Before 14 October 2007: The Daisy |
| Undersecretaries Luigi Vimercati (PD) Giorgio Calò (IdV) |||||
| Minister of International Trade | Emma Bonino | 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008 | Italian Radicals |
| Undersecretaries Mauro Agostini (PD) Miloš Budin (PD) |||||
| Minister of Social Solidarity | Paolo Ferrero | 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008 | Communist Refoundation Party |
| Undersecretaries Franca Donaggio (PD) Cristina De Luca (PD) |||||
| Minister for Parliamentary Relations (without portfolio) | Vannino Chiti | 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008 | Democratic Party Before 14 October 2007: Democrats of the Left |
| Undersecretaries Giampaolo D'Andrea (PD) Paolo Naccarato (Ind.) |||||
| Minister of Public Administration (without portfolio) | Luigi Nicolais | 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008 | Democratic Party Before 14 October 2007: Democrats of the Left |
| Undersecretaries Beatrice Magnolfi (PD) Giampiero Scanu (PD) |||||
| Minister of Regional Affairs (without portfolio) | Linda Lanzillotta | 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008 | Democratic Party Before 14 October 2007: The Daisy |
| Undersecretary Pietro Colonnella (PD) |||||
| Minister for Equal Opportunities (without portfolio) | Barbara Pollastrini | 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008 | Democratic Party Before 14 October 2007: Democrats of the Left |
| Undersecretary Donatella Linguiti (PRC) |||||
| Minister of European Affairs (without portfolio) | Emma Bonino | 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008 | Italian Radicals |
| Minister for Youth Policies and Sport (without portfolio) | Giovanna Melandri | 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008 | Democratic Party Before 14 October 2007: Democrats of the Left |
| Undersecretaries Giovanni Lolli (PD) Elidio De Paoli (LAL) |||||
| Minister for Family (without portfolio) | Rosy Bindi | 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008 | Democratic Party Before 14 October 2007: The Daisy |
| Undersecretary Chiara Acciarini (SD) |||||
| Minister for the Implementation of the Government Program (without portfolio) | Giulio Santagata | 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008 | Democratic Party Before 14 October 2007: The Daisy |
| Secretary of the Council of Ministers (Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers) | Enrico Letta | 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008 | Democratic Party Before 14 October 2007: The Daisy |
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Before 14 October 2007: DL
* 1 2 3 4 Before 5 October 2007: SDI
* 1 2 before 1 October 2007: DL
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Before 14 October 2007: DS
* ↑ Before 14 October 2007: Independent
* 1 2 before 5 May 2007: DS

## Sources

* Italian Government - Prodi II Cabinet