The Return of Silvio Berlusconi: Italy on the Eve of General Elections (Again)

After just two years, Italy held another general election on April 13-14, 2008. Despite an electoral law intended to encourage coalition building before the election, Italian voters chose from among 30 different parties, not to mention separate parties being presented to Italian nationals living abroad. Opinion polls predicted that Silvio Berlusconi would become Prime Minister for a third time.

Prior to this election, Daniel Benjamin, Director of the Brookings Center on the United States and Europe, moderated a discussion with two Italian political experts: Maurizio Molinari, U.S. correspondent of La Stampa and Federiga Bindi, Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution to preview the election and discuss the recent evolution of Italian politics and foreign policy.