Italy’s new government has taken office, but among the bankers, lawyers and university professors there is not a single elected official. And with the government set to stay in place until at least 2013, it seems Italy has forsaken elected democracy in favour of an imposed set of leaders.
Many in Italy seem to be fairly sanguine about this development. That says more about the outgoing bunch, who brought Italy to its knees through financial mismanagement, than it says about new leader Mario Monti and his colleaguges. For now, the new government is being seen as ‘above’ conventional party politics, and that’s seen as a good thing.
The departure of Silvio Berlusconi is seen by some in the financial industries as a move that will genuinely improve Italy’s economic performance. But others question whether the cost – an unelected government – is too great for a supposed democracy to bear.
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