page_title: Policies of Silvio Berlusconi
section_title: Political positions
hierarchical_section_title: Policies of Silvio Berlusconi / Berlusconism / Political positions
caption_attribution_description: Italiano: Silvio Berlusconi
context_page_description: Silvio Berlusconi was the Prime Minister of Italy, the head of the country's government, for almost ten years.
context_section_description: Berlusconi defines himself, and by extension Berlusconism, as moderate, liberal and pro-free trade (Liberismo). However, national and foreign authors have noticed that Berlusconi's liberal rhetoric was little applied during his governments, never reducing taxes or public spending, or also growing its.
  A feature of Berlusconi's leadership tactics is to use the party as a mean to gain power (with the party described as a "light party", because of its lack of a complex internal structure). This is decidedly comparable to the political tactics used by Charles De Gaulle in France.
  Another feature of great importance is the emphasis on a "Liberal revolution", publicised and summarised by the "Contract with the Italians" of 2001.
  A strong reformism is added to these pillars, principally of the form of the Italian state and the constitution" in favour of moving from a Parliamentary system to a Semi-presidential system, a higher election threshold, the abolition of the Senate, the halving in size of the Chamber of Deputies, the abolition of the provinces and the reform of the judiciary, with separation of the careers between magistrates and magistrates's civil responsibility, from Berlusconi considered impartial. Berlusconi has declared himself to be persecuted by the judiciary, having undergone 34 processes, accusing them of being manipulated by the political left and comparing himself to Enzo Tortora as a victim of a miscarriage of justice.
  More recently, Berlusconi has declared himself in favour of Civil Unions.
caption: Silvio Berlusconi during a Forza Italia rally.
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