The 2008 Italian National Elections: Berlusconi's Third Victory

In 2008 Silvio Berlusconi contested his fifth national election, winning for the third time. Walter Veltroni's newly created Democratic Party ran alone, rejecting any coalition with parties to its left and did less well than expected. The Rainbow Left failed to cross the threshold for parliamentary representation, while the Northern League made striking gains. With only five parties in the 2008 Parliament, Italian voters seem to have found a way of ending the exaggerated fragmentation of the party system and consolidating a centripetal and bipolar political competition. However, much will still depend on the behaviour of the two major leaders and on the performance of Berlusconi's fourth government.