How does politics change in the Renzi era? Openpolis, a civic and independent observatory on the transparency of Italian politics, has drawn up an initial balance by looking at the majorities that have alternated from Berlusconi to Renzi, the government positions, the expenses of Palazzo Chigi in the period from 2008 to today. We report below some essential points from which we can see how the weight of the government has grown over the years, with respect to Parliament, on the legislative initiative in line with the constitutional reform already approved and which will be submitted to the referendum in the autumn. Alfano, De Vincenti, Delrio, Gentile, Casero, Giro and Vicari are the politicians who have obtained the most positions in the period considered. In general, the urgency of the institutional reforms that the government has launched is confirmed. to know more click on the attachment.
Majorities and seats
“If in the last Berlusconi government there were only two parties in power (People of Freedom and Lega Nord), the numbers have grown since Monti. Currently, the members of the Renzi government belong to 6 different political movements: the Democratic Party, the New Centre-Right, Civic Choice, the Italian Socialist Party, the Union of the Center and Solidarity Democracy. Parties that in two years have varied their numerical participation in the government, up until the last reshuffle at the end of January which was particularly generous for the New centre-right (+5 appointments)”. There are 30 politicians who have participated in at least 2 of the last 4 governments. In Letta's government, Alfano held two positions simultaneously: Vice President and Minister of the Interior. In the Renzi government, on the other hand, some politicians have changed positions while maintaining their presence in the executive.
Votes of confidence: Monti unmatched
“The centrality of the executive power in the legislative production of our country is evident. Almost 30% of the bills proposed by the Renzi government become law, for parliamentarians it is not even 1%. Furthermore, in the XVII legislature the proposals of the two successive executives (Letta and Renzi) were approved on average in 156 days, those of the parliamentarians took more than a year (392 days).
31,01% of the laws approved during the executive led by Matteo Renzi required trust. The second highest percentage of the last four governments, beaten only by Mario Monti (45%). Some of the most important laws since Renzi has been prime minister have needed at least 3 votes of confidence: italicum, jobs act, public administration reform and stability 2015.
Long times in Parliament
In the XVII legislature a parliamentary initiative bill employs more than 1 year to be approved (392 days). The government's proposals, on the other hand, travel at a completely different speed: an average of 156 days. By dividing the government-initiated laws approved during the Renzi government by theme, we pass from some measures that complete the process in just over a month (business and justice), to others that require more than 280 days: foreign countries, Europe and international treaties, the slowest.
The Battle of the Amendments
As with bills, the government's success rate for amendments is much higher than for parliament. Both in the House (48,18%) and in the Senate (46,06%), almost 1 out of 2 amendments presented by the government are approved. The same certainly cannot be said for those of the parliamentarians. For deputies, the success rate drops to 5,42%. In the Senate, where the obstructionism of the opposition also involves the massive presentation of amendments, the approval percentage is 1,25%. Of the more than 240 amendments presented by deputies and senators, just over 6.700 have been approved.
How and how much Palazzo Chigi spends
The expenses of the Presidency of the Council, already reduced with the Monti government, reached a minimum peak in 2013 (Letta government). Certified expenditure in that year amounted to 3,5 billion. In the following year, the first year of the Renzi government, the total returned to growth, reaching 3,6 billion. The main item of expenditure always concerns civil protection (about 2 billion a year). On average we are talking about more than 60% of the budget. It should be noted that the item "general secretariat" under the Renzi government went from 11% to 20% of the total. From 2013 (Letta government) to 2014 the figure fully committed increased from just over 396 million to over 750 million.
Attachments: Openpolis and the Renzi government
