Back in power since last April for the third time, media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi is again confronting us with a crucial question: can we consider Italy a democratic country? The first obvious issue concerns the right to freedom of speech in relation to media ownership. Controlling both the private TV networks and, as Prime Minister, the Italian public service broadcaster, Berlusconi has influence over 90 per cent of all national television broadcasting.

The dangers caused by his monopoly and by such conflict of interest are obviously very serious. Moreover, as most of us expected, his new government is proving to be sadly similar to his previous one. Berlusconi’s right-wing coalition, which sees his party joining forces with post-fascist National Alliance led by Gianfranco Fini and separatist party Northern League led by Umberto Bossi, has already passed a series of questionable laws and has set up a political agenda dominated by Berlusconi’s personal and corporate interests. Decrees have been passed with the aim to exempt the Prime Minister from legal prosecution and to block court cases against him.

A discriminating crime package and repressive anti-immigration measures have been introduced. Soldiers are now allowed to patrol the streets alongside the police, opening in this way the use of Italian army for domestic purposes. On the top of this, the government has agreed on Italy’s return to nuclear energy and gave green light to an emergency 300-million-euro state loan to save flag carrier Alitalia from bankruptcy, totally ignoring the position of the European Commission, who has expressed serious concerns about this action being incompatible with EU public aid rules. Is this democracy?

Photo of Silvio Berlusconi from Flickr user CiuPix in the Sky.