So, the Italian democratic state, about 50 years ago, sprang from a state of general confusion. A new republic was founded, but nobody was sure what kind of republic it was. Christian Democrats were planning to stay inside NATO, but with the very peculiar status of a free republic without a truly free market. Neo-fascists just tried to survive. Conservatives simply didn't exist in Italy until 1994.
Theoretical compromises accepted in drafting the Constitution affect Italy's political life today.
Parties customarily approve and sustain a prime minister if he grants them the prestigious positions they request. It means that incidents like the Jeffords affair are commonplace in Italy. Italians adopted a 1992 initiative to change the electoral mechanism into a majority system. Italy has seen the likes of James Jeffords many, many times during its democratic history. Consider just the most recent examples.