Silvio Berlusconi moved swiftly yesterday to form a government and start tackling Italy’s pressing problems, after his sweeping victory in Monday’s general election.

The 71-year-old media magnate faces a host of challenges from rescuing Alitalia to clearing up the mountains of uncollected rubbish in Naples and fulfilling an election promise of cracking down on illegal immigrants.

One of his first moves will be to unveil his Cabinet and it looked likely that he would fulfil his promise to give at least four women cabinet posts.

Stefania Prestigiacomo, of his Forza Italia party, is thought to be in line to become Minister for European Affairs while Mara Carfagna, a former model, television presenter and Miss Italy contestant, has been mooted as a possible Minister for the Family.

Other candidates are Giulia Bongiorno, a member of the former Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti’s defence team in several Mafia-related trials, who may become Justice Minister, and Rosi Mauro, of the Northern League, as Minister for Welfare.

In his first post-election press conference yesterday, Mr Berlusconi appeared relaxed and smiling, joking that Italians voted for him “because I am young”, but he conceded: “The months and years ahead will be difficult”.

His priorities on forming a government — probably early next month — would include resolving the rubbish crisis in Naples and the sale of the near-bankrupt state airline Alitalia. He is expected to cut taxes, sell public assets to reduce the deficit and free up labour markets.

He said he would eliminate ICI, an Italian property tax, at a cost of ¤billion, and would honour his promise to hold his first Cabinet meeting in Naples.

“I’ve already found an office, and I’ll stay there three days a week until I’m certain I’ve created the foundations for a permanent solution,” he told a radio station.

His first foreign policy meeting is to be with President Putin — with whom he formed a close relationship when he was last in power. They will meet at Mr Berlusconi’s Sardinian villa tomorrow.

There were early concerns, however, that the new administration will be beholden to the stridently antiimmigrant Northern League. The league, which doubled its vote to more than 8 per cent, is expected to gain at least two ministries — Interior and Reform. The league, founded in 1991 to promote autonomy for northern Italy — which it calls Padania — brought down the 1994 Berlusconi Government, but served for a full five-year term as part of his administration between 2001 and 2006.

Umberto Bossi, its unpredictable leader, may also be given high office, though he had a severe stroke four years ago from which he is still recovering. Mr Bossi once described African immigrants as “bingo bongos” and said illegal immigrants arriving by boat should be “blown out of the water”. During the election campaign he called on his supporters to “take up arms” against “that rabble in Rome” over allegedly confusing ballot papers.

Yesterday Mr Bossi denied that Mr Berlusconi would be his “hostage”, telling La Stampa: “He is my friend. We have an electoral pact, and we will honour it”.

Mr Berlusconi attempted to deflect criticism by insisting there was no danger in including Northern League ministers in his Cabinet, even if they “sometimes use unfortunate language”. But it was clear that his right- wing allies would strongly influence his policies: “One of the first things to do is to close the frontiers and set up more camps to identify foreign citizens who don’t have jobs and are forced into a life of crime,” he said.

In contrast to the success of the Right, the two communist parties and the Greens, which stood as the “Rainbow Alliance”, failed to gain a single seat. “Nearly 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall Communism is finally dead in Italy,” Andrea Ronchi, a right-wing politician, said.

Together with the collapse of other small parties this ushers in a more streamlined parliament of coherent rival blocs, with the twenty six parties of the last legislature reduced to six. “Since the politicians failed to implement a simpler and more stable system, the Italian people have done it for them,” Professor Giovanni Sartori, an expert on electoral law, said. “These elections revolutionise the national political geography” said Massimo Giannini, of Rome University.

Women in power

Spain Has 9 women in a 17-strong Cabinet, including the Defence Minister, Carme Chacón, who is seven months pregnant

Finland Also ruled by a female majority, with 12 of the 20 Cabinet posts held by women

France President Sarkozy fulfilled an election pledge by appointing 7 women to his 15-strong cabinet

Britain? David Cameron has pledged to give a third of the jobs in his first government to women

Source: Times archives

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