Italian Presidents and their Accordion: Pre-1992 and Post-1994

Abstract

Apparently ill-defined in the Constitution, the role and powers of the President of the Italian Republic have too often been considered just ceremonial. Using the metaphor of the accordion, this article offers a comparison between the pre-1992 and the post-1993 periods. In the first one, when Italian parties were entrenched and strong they could prevent the Presidents from autonomously playing all their powers, and did so quite successfully. In the second period, following the major crisis derived from the Clean Hands investigation and the reform of the electoral system, Italian parties have seen their political strength significantly curtailed. As a consequence, the accordion of the three Presidents from 1993 up to now has been played using their full panoply of powers: appointment of the Prime Ministers, dissolution of Parliament, authorisation of governmental bills and enactment of the laws. This article documents the most important instances in which the Presidents have resorted to their constitutional powers against the ill-founded and extra-constitutional protests of centre-right and centre-left Prime Ministers and party leaders. Notwithstanding the differences in their political personality, it is a distinct possibility that future Italian Presidents will continue playing their accordion to its great extent and in full accordance with the Italian Constitution.