Concept

Prime Minister of Italy

Overview

The prime minister of Italy, officially the president of the Council of Ministers (Italian: presidente del Consiglio dei ministri), is the head of government of the Italian Republic. The office of president of the Council of Ministers is established by articles 92–96 of the Constitution of Italy; the president of the Council of Ministers is appointed by the president of the Italian Republic and must have the confidence of the parliament to stay in office.

Prior to the establishment of the Italian Republic, the position was known as the president of the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of Italy (Presidente del Consiglio dei ministri del Regno d'Italia). From 1925 to 1943 during the Italian fascist regime, the position was transformed into the dictatorial position as the Head of the Government, Prime Minister, Secretary of State (Capo del Governo, Primo Ministro, Segretario di Stato), held by Benito Mussolini, the Duce of fascism, who officially governed on the behalf of the king of Italy. King Victor Emmanuel III removed Mussolini from office in 1943 and the position was restored with Marshal Pietro Badoglio becoming prime minister in 1943, although the original denomination of president of the Council of Ministers was only restored in 1944, when Ivanoe Bonomi was appointed to the post. Alcide De Gasperi became the first prime minister of the Italian Republic in 1946.

The prime minister is the president of the Council of Ministers, which holds executive power and the position is similar to those in most other parliamentary systems. The formal Italian order of precedence lists the office as being ceremonially the fourth-highest Italian state office after the president and the presiding officers of the two houses of the Italian Parliament. In practice, the prime minister is the country's political leader and de facto chief executive. Giorgia Meloni has been the incumbent prime minister since 22 October 2022 and she is the first woman to hold the office in the history of the Italian Republic.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).

Possible passages

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For though where the people are governed by an Assembly, chosen by themselves out of their own number, the government is called a Democracy, or Aristocracy; yet when they are governed by an Assembly, not of their own choosing, ’tis a Monarchy; not of One man, over another man; but of one people, over another people. Of The Right Of Succession Of all these Formes of Government, the matter being mortall, so that not…
Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan
States what Prime Minister of Italy is.
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A government may endure for several ages, though the balance of power and the balance of property do not coincide. This chiefly happens where any rank or order of the state has acquired a large share in the property; but, from the original constitution of the government, has no share in the power. Under what pretence would any individual of that order assume authority in public affairs? As men are commonly much…
David Hume, Essays
Close in meaning to Prime Minister of Italy; the term itself is not named.
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From hence arose the several orders, with or without a monarch (which are called states), in every European country; the strong traces of which, where monarchy predominated, were never wholly extinguished or merged in despotism. In the few places where monarchy was cast off, the spirit of European monarchy was still left. Those countries still continued countries of states; that is, of classes, orders, and…
Edmund Burke, Selections from the Speeches and Writings of Edmund Burke
States what Prime Minister of Italy is.
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Related ideas

Place in the tradition

Part of Conservatism.

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