Almost exactly 10 years ago to the day, Romano Prodi was sworn in as Italy's prime minister.
On Wednesday, he was offered a new go at power. And yet, his second government appears burdened by many of the same problems that afflicted his first stint in office.
The precedent does not bode well for Prodi, as his first government was brought down by internal strife after just 29 months in office.
So, the most pressing question now on the minds of most analysts and ordinary Italians is whether the former European Commission president will this time round be able to govern for a full five years.
Just like in 1996, Prodi has steered a broad center-left coalition to victory over a center-right alliance headed by Silvio Berlusconi in a closely contested general election.
thin majority
Much has been said about the fact that Prodi now commands only a wafer-thin two-seat majority in parliament's upper house, the Senate.
In fact, Prodi managed to form a government in 1996 despite lacking a parliamentary majority in the lower house, the Chamber of Deputies.
It was only thanks to the reluctant backing of the Communist Refoundation, Italy's most left-wing party, that he was able to win a key parliamentary vote of confidence shortly after his government's appointment.
The Communist Refoundation eventually withdrew its support, in October 1998, due to insurmountable disagreements over economic policy, thus certifying the premature end of his short-lived government.
This time round, however, the same party is a fully fledged member of Prodi's Union coalition and has been rewarded with a cabinet post after agreeing to subscribe to his electoral programme.
Moreover, while the party remains defiantly opposed to globalization, it has undergone a minor transformation. Some might say it has even shifted slightly away from the far left.
"These days, if I had to choose between saving jobs and closing down a factory that pollutes, I would opt for the latter," former chairman Fausto Bertinotti said in a revealing interview in 2002.
Bertinotti has since been appointed to the high-profile institutional post of speaker of parliament while his successor at the party, Franco Giordano, is far less inclined to talk about "class struggle."
Nevertheless, Prodi is still having to confront the conflicting interests of a coalition that today includes no less than nine distinct parties. And most analysts predict that he will be subjected to the same kind of friendly-fire that afflicted his previous government.
economic problems
Much like 10 years ago, Prodi inherits a country troubled by serious economic problems.
Last time round, he was forced to slash its enormous public deficit in a bid to ensure Italy would be accepted as a Eurozone member.
This time round, he will have to work equally hard to ensure Italy is not thrown out of Europe's elite club.
Latest estimates by Italy's Institute for Studies and Economic Analyses indicate that the country's budget deficit is likely to hit 3.9 per cent of GDP in 2006 and 4.2 per cent in 2007, well above the 3 per cent limit set for Eurozone members.
Meanwhile, manufacturers have been hard hit by increased competition from East Asia and the IMF has recently downgraded its GDP growth forecasts for Europe's fourth-largest economy to just 1.2 percent this year and 1.4 percent in 2007.
Back in 1996, Prodi appointed former Bank of Italy governor Carlo Azeglio Ciampi -- who in 1999 was to be elected head of state -- as his economy minister.
This time, he has given the post to a similarly respected economist, Tommaso Padoa Schioppa, a former member of the European Central Bank.
Padoa Schioppa's appointment indicates Prodi is equally serious about tackling Italy's economic woes as he was 10 years ago.
Five of the ministers he appointed on Wednesday were also present in his previous government. They include former anti-grafts magistrate Antonio Di Pietro and Pier Luigi Bersani, a knowledgeable former industry minister.
Prodi said on Wednesday his second government was "solid" and would last the full length of the five-year-long legislature.
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