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Silvio Berlusconi has twice ascended to the status of prime minister. In 1994, he served only eight months. He won a second election in 2001.
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The early 1990s were a period of turmoil and reform in Italian politics. In 1992, a sweeping judicial investigation entitled "Clean Hands" was begun to root out corruption in Italian politics. Operation Clean Hands soon uncovered the "Bribesville" scandal, which extended widely throughout Italian politics and would eventually implicate five former prime ministers and result in more than 1,000 criminal indictments. A similar investigation of high-ranking Mafia connections in the government resulted in the arrest of the Sicilian boss Salvatore Riina in 1993. The reputations of the Christian Democratic and Socialist parties were severely damaged by instability and corruption. In April 1993, an important electoral referendum was passed that sought to reduce the influence of minor parties on the nation's political structure. The new voting law also served to hasten the decline of Italy's long-established parties.
The 1994 elections marked a major change in Italian politics. In an effort to refashion its image, the Christian Democratic Party split into two factions early in the year leaving an opening in Italy's political power structure. The new center-right Forza Italia (literally "Force, Italy," but also meaning "Go, Italy!") party led by media mogul Silvio Berlusconi swept into office in March buoyed by its visions of popular government. But Berlusconi's own business transactions were soon under investigation and to many his media empire represented a clear conflict of interest. He was forced to step down in December with the withdrawal of the support of the powerful Lega Nord (Northern League) from his coalition.
In April 1996 the broad, center-left "Olive Tree" coalition under Romano Prodi came to power and ushered in Italy's first leftist government since 1946. The Olive Tree government established a relatively long period of stability until its Communist allies withdrew their support late in 1998. After another period of short-lived governments, the new "House of Freedoms" cartel carried the 2000 regional elections. Prominent in the House of Freedoms coalition were the far-rightist Alleanza Nazionale (National Alliance) party and Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia movement. With the House of Freedoms endorsement, former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was once again elected to lead Italy in 2001. Berlusconi brought with him new pledges for economic growth, political stability, and a promise to make Italy a republic of the people.
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