As he tackles the serious fiscal and economic problems that have beset his country, Italy’s nominee Prime Minister Mario Monti has one thing going strong for him and that is trust, according to a Maltese former Italian MP.
The mere fact he will not be laughed at is already a step in the right direction
The economist and former EU Commissioner enjoys widespread trust among ordinary Italians, the political parties, civil society and international institutions according to Alternattiva Demokratika foreign affairs spokesman Arnold Cassola, who was a member of the Italian Parliament between 2006 and 2008.
“The mere fact that Monti, who is an internationally respected economist, will not be laughed at like former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is already a step in the right direction,” Prof. Cassola said.
Mr Monti, one of a few EU Commissioners to have served two terms, has hit the road running, living up to the nickname Super Mario earned when serving at the Commission.
Barely 24 hours after being appointed Prime Minister, Mr Monti was yesterday involved in numerous consultation rounds with Italy’s political parties that are expected to continue today. He will be leading a Cabinet of technocrats that will steer the country through choppy economic waters that are threatening to sink Italy and with it, the rest of the eurozone.
Mr Monti has lost no time and expects Parliament to deliver a vote of confidence by the end of this week after which begins the hard work of taking Italy out of its rut and leading the country towards a path of economic growth.
But in doing so it is not just economic problems that Mr Monti and his team will have to deal with.
In a country with a highly polarised political system that is very much personality driven, Mr Monti will also have to steer the ship of state in mine-infested political waters.
The two largest parties, Mr Berlusconi’s centre-right Party of Freedom and the centre-left Democratic Party, have pledged their support to Mr Monti’s government.
But the Northern League, a federalist political party based in the north and a former government coalition member, has already said it will not support Mr Monti.
Whether this will be enough to derail the salvation project has to be seen but Prof. Cassola is hopeful that as “a consensus builder”, Mr Monti can carry out the necessary reforms and last the 14 months until the natural end of this legislature.
But although this optimism is reflected by former Nationalist Party president Victor Scerri, he believes it is dependent on too many variables that make forecasting Mr Monti’s success a difficult task.
“It is not just a question of whether Monti will be able to gain the trust of all political parties or at least a majority of them but also a question of what will happen in the financial markets, the eurozone and the global economy,” Dr Scerri said.
The positive aspect is that Mr Monti is a respected and trusted technocrat from outside the political sphere, he added.
“This means he will not be perceived as wanting to score political points and this can lead to convergence between the different parties.”
It will not be an easy task, although markets have sent out positive vibes after the austerity package was approved by the Italian parliament over the weekend paving the way for Mr Berlusconi’s resignation and Mr Monti’s subsequent appointment.
The crunch comes at implementation stage when austerity starts biting hard into reality. Mr Monti’s presence will only make it “less difficult” for this exercise to succeed, according to Dr Scerri.