# Fourth Berlusconi government

The fourth Berlusconi government was the 60th government of Italy, in office from 8 May 2008 to 16 November 2011. It was the fourth government led by Silvio Berlusconi, who then became the longest-serving Prime Minister of Italy of the Italian Republic (3340 days in office). The government was supported by a coalition between The People of Freedom (PdL) and the Northern League (LN), together with other smaller centre-right parties.
At its formation, the government included 22 ministers and 39 under-secretaries, for a total of 61 members. At the end of its term the cabinet was composed of 24 ministers, 4 deputy ministers and 39 under-secretaries, for a total of 67 members. With 1287 days of tenure, it was second in longevity only to Berlusconi's second government (1409 days from 2001 to 2005) in the history of the Italian Republic.

## Formation

After the sudden fall of the second Prodi government on 24 January, the break-up of The Union coalition and the subsequent political crisis (which paved the way for a fresh general election in April 2008), Berlusconi, Gianfranco Fini and other party leaders finally agreed on 8 February 2008 to form a joint list named "The People of Freedom" (Italian: Il Popolo della Libertà), allied with the Northern League of Umberto Bossi and with the Sicilian Movement for Autonomy of Raffaele Lombardo.
In the snap parliamentary elections held on 13/14 April 2008 this coalition won against Walter Veltroni's centre-left coalition in both houses of the Italian Parliament.
Berlusconi and his ministers were sworn in on 8 May 2008.

## Fall

On 10 October the Chamber of Deputies rejected the law on the budget of the State proposed by the government. As a result of this event Berlusconi moved for a confidence vote in the Chamber on 14 October, he won the vote with just 316 votes to 301, minimum required to retain a majority. An increasing number of Deputies continued to cross the floor and join the opposition and on 8 November the Chamber approved the law on the budget of the State previously rejected but with only 308 votes and 1 abstention, while opposition parties didn't participate in the vote to highlight that Berlusconi lost his majority. Among other things, his perceived failure to tackle Italy's debt crisis with an estimated debt sum of €1.9 trillion ($2.6 trillion) urged Berlusconi to leave office. The popularity of this decision was reflected in the fact that while he was resigning crowds sang the hallelujah portion of George Frederick Handel's "Messiah", complete with some vocal accompaniment; there was also dancing in the streets outside the Quirinal Palace, the official residence of the President of Italy, where Berlusconi went to tender his resignation.
The austerity package was passed, it will raise €59.8 billion in savings from spending cuts and tax raises, including freezing public-sector salaries until 2014 and gradually increasing the retirement age for women in the private sector from 60 in 2014 to 65 in 2026. The resignation also came at a difficult time for Berlusconi, as he was involved in numerous trials for corruption, fraud and sex offences. He was often found guilty in lower courts but used loopholes in Italy's legal system to evade incarceration.
Berlusconi had also failed to meet some of his pre-election promises and had failed to prevent economic decline and introduce serious reforms. Many believed that the problems and doubts over Berlusconi's leadership and his coalition were one of the factors that contributed to market anxieties over an imminent Italian financial disaster, which could have a potentially catastrophic effect on the 17-nation eurozone and the world economy. Many critics of Berlusconi accused him of using his power primarily to protect his own business ventures. Umberto Bossi, leader of the Northern League, a partner in Berlusconi's right-wing coalition, was quoted as informing reporters outside parliament, "We asked the prime minister to step aside."
CNN reported on 7 November that Berlusconi had previously denied the rumors that he was going to resign and had stated on his Facebook page that "The rumors of my resignation are groundless." On 12 November 2011, after a final meeting with his cabinet, Berlusconi met Italian president Giorgio Napolitano at the Quirinal Palace to tender his resignation. He announced this to the Italian public by telephone on one of his television channels. Italian news agency ANSA reported that Berlusconi had remarked to his aides that "This is something that deeply saddens me". Berlusconi conceded that he had lost his parliamentary majority and concluded that "things like who leads or who doesn't lead the government was less important than doing what is right for the country." Berlusconi issued a statement that he would not stand for office in Italy again after the budget defeat. In his resignation he was said to have also mentioned "eight traitors", former allies who had abstained.

## Investiture votes

14-15 May 2008 Investiture votes for Berlusconi IV Cabinet :
| House of Parliament | Vote | Parties | Votes |
| Chamber of Deputies | Y Yes | PdL, LN, MpA | 335 / 611 |
| Chamber of Deputies | N No | PD, UdC, IdV, SVP–ALD, Others | 275 / 611 |
| Chamber of Deputies | Abstention | Others | 1 / 611 |
| Senate of the Republic | Y Yes | PdL, LN, MpA | 173 / 322 |
| Senate of the Republic | N No | PD, IdV, UdC–SVP–AUT, Others | 137 / 312 |
| Senate of the Republic | Abstention | Others | 2 / 312 |

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

| Forza Italia | 12 |
| National Alliance | 4 |
| Northern League | 4 |
| Christian Democracy for Autonomies | 1 |

#### Ministers and other members

* The People of Freedom (PdL): Prime minister, 17 ministers, 30 undersecretaries
** Forza Italia (FI): Prime minister, 12 ministers, 17 undersecretaries
** National Alliance (AN): 4 ministers, 8 undersecretaries
** Christian Democracy for Autonomies (DCA): 1 minister
** Liberal Populars (PL): 1 undersecretary
** Independents: 4 undersecretaries
* Northern League (LN): 4 ministers, 5 undersecretaries
* Movement for Autonomy (MpA): 2 undersecretaries
* Christian Democracy (DC): 1 undersecretary
* Independents: 1 undersecretary

### End of term
#### Ministers

| The People of Freedom | 19 |
| Northern League | 3 |
| People and Territory | 1 |
| Independents | 1 |

#### Ministers and other members

* The People of Freedom (PdL): Prime minister, 18 ministers, 24 undersecretaries
* Northern League (LN): 3 ministers, 1 deputy minister, 4 undersecretaries
* People and Territory (PT): 1 minister, 1 deputy minister, 2 undersecretaries
** The Populars of Italy Tomorrow (PID): 1 minister
** Popular Action (AP): 1 deputy minister
** Movement of National Responsibility (MRN): 1 undersecretary
** La Discussione: 1 undersecretary
* Independents: 1 minister, 2 undersecretaries
* Republicans-Actionists (RA): 1 deputy minister
* Great South (GS): 2 undersecretaries
* Christian Democracy (DC): 1 undersecretary
* The Right (Destra): 1 undersecretary
* National Cohesion (CN): 1 undersecretary

## Council of Ministers

| Office | Name | Party | Term |
| Prime Minister | Silvio Berlusconi | PdL | 2008–2011 |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Franco Frattini | PdL | 2008–2011 |
| Minister of the Interior | Roberto Maroni | LN | 2008–2011 |
| Minister of Justice | Angelino Alfano | PdL | 2008–2011 |
| Minister of Justice | Nitto Francesco Palma | PdL | 2011 |
| Minister of Defence | Ignazio La Russa | PdL | 2008–2011 |
| Minister of Economy and Finance | Giulio Tremonti | PdL | 2008–2011 |
| Minister of Economic Development | Claudio Scajola | PdL | 2008–2010 |
| Minister of Economic Development | Silvio Berlusconi (ad interim) | PdL | 2010 |
| Minister of Economic Development | Paolo Romani | PdL | 2010–2011 |
| Minister of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies | Luca Zaia | LN | 2008–2010 |
| Minister of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies | Giancarlo Galan | PdL | 2010–2011 |
| Minister of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies | Francesco Saverio Romano | PT | 2011 |
| Minister of the Environment | Stefania Prestigiacomo | PdL | 2008–2011 |
| Minister of Infrastructure and Transport | Altero Matteoli | PdL | 2008–2011 |
| Minister of Labour and Social Policies | Maurizio Sacconi | PdL | 2008–2011 |
| Minister of Health | Ferruccio Fazio | Independent | 2009–2011 |
| Minister of Education, University and Research | Mariastella Gelmini | PdL | 2008–2011 |
| Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities | Sandro Bondi | PdL | 2008–2011 |
| Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities | Giancarlo Galan | PdL | 2011 |
| Minister of Regional Affairs and Territorial Cohesion | Raffaele Fitto | PdL | 2008–2011 |
| Minister for the Implementation of the Government Program | Gianfranco Rotondi | PdL | 2008–2011 |
| Minister of Public Administration | Renato Brunetta | PdL | 2008–2011 |
| Minister for Equal Opportunities | Mara Carfagna | PdL | 2008–2011 |
| Minister of European Affairs | Andrea Ronchi | PdL / FLI | 2008–2011 |
| Minister of European Affairs | Anna Maria Bernini | PdL | 2010–2011 |
| Minister for Parliamentary Relations | Elio Vito | PdL | 2008–2011 |
| Minister for Federal Reforms | Umberto Bossi | LN | 2008–2011 |
| Minister of Youth Policies | Giorgia Meloni | PdL | 2008–2011 |
| Minister for Legislative Simplification | Roberto Calderoli | LN | 2008–2011 |
| Minister for Subsidiarity and Decentralization | Aldo Brancher | PdL | 2010 |
| Minister of Tourism | Michela Vittoria Brambilla | PdL | 2009–2011 |
| Secretary of the Council of Ministers | Gianni Letta | PdL | 2008–2011 |

## Composition

| Office | Name | Term of office | Party |
| Prime Minister | Silvio Berlusconi | 8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011 | The People of Freedom |
| Undersecretaries Gianni Letta (PdL) – Delegated to the Authority for the Security of the Republic Paolo Bonaiuti (PdL) – Delegated to Information, Communications and Publishing Carlo Giovanardi (PdL) – Delegated to Family Policies, the Fight Against Drugs, and the Civil Service Gianfranco Micciché (GS) – Delegated to the Inter-ministerial Committee for Economic Planning Rocco Crimi (PdL) – Delegated to Sport Michela Vittoria Brambilla (PdL) – Delegated to Tourism (until 8 May 2009) Guido Bertolaso (Ind.) – Delegated to the Solution of the Waste Management Crisis in Campania and to the Coordination of Civil Protection to a European and International Level (until 11 November 2010) |||||
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Franco Frattini | 8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011 | The People of Freedom |
| Undersecretaries Stefania Craxi (PdL) Alfredo Mantica (PdL) Vincenzo Scotti (NS) (until 7 November 2011) |||||
| Minister of the Interior | Roberto Maroni | 8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011 | Northern League |
| Undersecretaries Alfredo Mantovano (PdL) Michelino Davico (LN) Nitto Francesco Palma (PdL) (until 27 July 2011) Sonia Viale (LN) (since 5 May 2011) Guido Viceconte (PdL) (since 14 October 2011) |||||
| Minister of Justice | Angelino Alfano | 8 May 2008 – 27 July 2011 | The People of Freedom |
| Minister of Justice | Nitto Francesco Palma | 27 July 2011 – 16 November 2011 | The People of Freedom |
| Undersecretaries Elisabetta Casellati (PdL) Giacomo Caliendo (PdL) |||||
| Minister of Defence | Ignazio La Russa | 8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011 | The People of Freedom |
| Undersecretaries Guido Crosetto (PdL) Giuseppe Cossiga (PdL) |||||
| Minister of Economy and Finance | Giulio Tremonti | 8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011 | The People of Freedom |
| Deputy Minister Giuseppe Vegas (PdL) (29 Mary 2009 – 15 December 2010) Undersecretaries Luigi Casero (PdL) Alberto Giorgetti (PdL) Giuseppe Vegas (PdL) (until 21 May 2009) Daniele Molgora (LN) (until 20 May 2010) Nicola Cosentino (PdL) (until 15 July 2010) Sonia Viale (LN) (20 May 2010 – 5 May 2011) Bruno Cesario (PT) (since 5 May 2011) Antonio Gentile (PdL) (since 5 May 2011) |||||
| Minister of Economic Development | Claudio Scajola | 8 May 2008 – 5 May 2010 | The People of Freedom |
| Minister of Economic Development | Silvio Berlusconi (Acting) | 5 May 2010 – 4 October 2010 | The People of Freedom |
| Minister of Economic Development | Paolo Romani | 4 October 2010 – 16 November 2011 | The People of Freedom |
| Deputy Ministers Adolfo Urso (FLI) (30 June 2009 – 17 November 2010) Paolo Romani (PdL) (30 June 2009 – 4 October 2010 Catia Polidori (PT) (14 October 2011 – 16 November 2011) Undersecretaries Ugo Martinat (PdL) (until 28 March 2009) Paolo Romani (PdL) (until 30 June 2009) Catia Polidori (until 14 October 2011) Adolfo Urso (PdL) (8 May 2008 – 30 June 2009) Stefano Saglia (PdL) (since 30 April 2009) Daniela Melchiorre (LD) (5 May 2011 – 27 May 2011) |||||
| Minister of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies | Luca Zaia | 8 May 2008 – 16 April 2010 | Northern League |
| Minister of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies | Giancarlo Galan | 16 April 2010 – 23 March 2011 | The People of Freedom |
| Minister of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies | Francesco Saverio Romano | 23 March 2011 – 16 November 2011 | People and Territory |
| Undersecretaries Antonio Buonfiglio (FLI) (until 17 November 2010) Roberto Rosso (PdL) (since 5 May 2011) |||||
| Minister of the Environment | Stefania Prestigiacomo | 8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011 | The People of Freedom |
| Undersecretaries Roberto Menia (FLI) (until 17 November 2010) Giampiero Catone (PT) (since 5 May 2011) Elio Vittorio Belcastro (GS) (since 28 July 2011) |||||
| Minister of Infrastructure and Transport | Altero Matteoli | 8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011 | The People of Freedom |
| Deputy Ministers Roberto Castelli (LN) (21 May 2009 – 16 November 2011) Aurelio Misiti (RA) (14 Oct 2011 – 16 November 2011) Undersecretaries Bartolomeo Giachino (Ind.) Mario Mantovani (PdL) Giuseppe Maria Reina (MpA) (until 17 November 2010) |||||
| Minister of Labour and Social Policies | Maurizio Sacconi | 8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011 | The People of Freedom |
| Deputy Minister Ferruccio Fazio (Ind.) (21 May 2009 – 14 December 2009) Undersecretaries Francesca Martini (LN) (until 4 February 2010) Eugenia Roccella (PdL) (until 4 February 2010) Pasquale Viespoli (FLI) (until 8 October 2010) Nello Musumeci (LD) (since 15 April 2011) Luca Bellotti (PdL) (since 5 May 2011) |||||
| Minister of Education, University and Research | Mariastella Gelmini | 8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011 | The People of Freedom |
| Undersecretaries Giuseppe Pizza (DC) Guido Viceconte (PdL) (5 May 2011 – 14 October 2011) Giuseppe Galati (PdL) (since 14 October 2011) |||||
| Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities | Sandro Bondi | 8 May 2008 – 23 March 2011 | The People of Freedom |
| Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities | Giancarlo Galan | 23 March 2011 – 16 November 2011 | The People of Freedom |
| Undersecretaries Francesco Giro (PdL) Riccardo Villari (CN) (since 5 May 2011) |||||
| Minister of Health | Ferruccio Fazio | 13 December 2009 – 16 November 2011 | Independent |
| Undersecretaries Francesca Martini (LN) (since 4 February 2010) Eugenia Roccella (PdL) (since 4 February 2010) |||||
| Minister for Parliamentary Relations (without portfolio) | Elio Vito | 8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011 | The People of Freedom |
| Undersecretary Laura Ravetto (PdL) (since 4 March 2010) |||||
| Minister of Public Administration (without portfolio) | Renato Brunetta | 8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011 | The People of Freedom |
| Undersecretary Andrea Augello (PdL) (since 4 March 2010) |||||
| Minister of Regional Affairs and Territorial Cohesion (without portfolio) | Raffaele Fitto | 8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011 | The People of Freedom |
| Minister for Equal Opportunities (without portfolio) | Mara Carfagna | 8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011 | The People of Freedom |
| Minister of European Affairs (without portfolio) | Andrea Ronchi | 8 May 2008 – 15 November 2010 | Future and Freedom Before 30 July 2010: The People of Freedom |
| Minister of European Affairs (without portfolio) | Anna Maria Bernini | 15 November 2010 – 16 November 2011 | The People of Freedom |
| Minister of Youth (without portfolio) | Giorgia Meloni | 8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011 | The People of Freedom |
| Minister for the Implementation of the Government Program (without portfolio) | Gianfranco Rotondi | 8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011 | The People of Freedom |
| Undersecretary Daniela Santanchè (PdL) (since 4 March 2010) |||||
| Minister for Federal Reforms (without portfolio) | Umberto Bossi | 8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011 | Northern League |
| Undersecretary Aldo Brancher (PdL) (until 18 June 2010) |||||
| Minister for Legislative Simplification (without portfolio) | Roberto Calderoli | 8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011 | Northern League |
| Undersecretary Maurizio Balocchi (LN) (until 14 February 2010) Francesco Belsito (LN) (since 22 February 2010) |||||
| Minister of Tourism (without portfolio) | Michela Vittoria Brambilla | 8 May 2009 – 16 November 2011 | The People of Freedom |
| Minister for Subsidiarity and Decentralization (without portfolio) | Aldo Brancher | 18 June 2010 – 16 November 2011 | The People of Freedom |
| Secretary of the Council of Ministers (Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers) | Gianni Letta | 8 May 2008 – 16 November 2011 | The People of Freedom |
* ↑ before 30 October 2010: PdL
* ↑ before 22 January 2010: MpA
* 1 2 3 4 before 30 July 2010: PdL
* ↑ before 7 November 2011: PT