75th Anniversary of the Italian Constitution; New Government's Policies

Italians celebrated the 75th anniversary of their Constitution last week as the new rightwing coalition government obtained the passage of the budget by the statutory deadline, among other measures. Italy adopted its Constitution in 1947, establishing a republic after a plebiscite in which Italians opted to eliminate the monarchy after its earlier tolerance of the Fascists until later, when the royal family broke with them and Italy sided with the Allies during the Second World War. The new coalition government is led by a party with its roots in a post-war party founded by Fascists that had set up a second fascist republic after having been popularly ousted from power, but the current Prime Minister has made clear condemnations of fascism, particularly of the anti-Semitic racial laws through which Italy’s Government participated in the Holocaust. She expresses her sympathy with center-right parties in the West and has provided strong support for Ukraine against Russian Federation aggression. Her coalition Government, which includes a center-right party and a Trumpist party, has been less accommodating to migrants rescued from the Mediterranean Sea by nongovernmental organizations, however, thereby sometimes putting them in danger. The rightwing executive has also undone most reasonable public health restrictions against the Coronavirus Pandemic, except last week introducing testing requirements for arrivals from Communist China, preferring voluntary guidelines instead. The Government enacted a crackdown on illegal raves, a culling of wild boars, and the regulation of motorized scooters, but its main accomplishment was to pass the budget. The measure includes welfare cuts for those who are fit to work and tax cuts for low- to middle income earners and the self-employed. Italy has completed all the reforms begun by the previous national unity government required for the European Union’s massive Covid relief fund.