Government crisis: what it is and how it works



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Talk about again government crisis, especially due to the confrontation between Prime Minister Conte and Matteo Renzi.

A “government crisis” is defined as the circumstance that occurs each time the executive branch loses the support – hence the confidence – of Parliament and, consequently, of the majority that elected it.

There are two kinds:

  • parliamentary crisis
  • extra-parliamentary crisis

It is up to the President of the Republic to listen to the political forces and decide whether to proceed with the formation of a new government, within the same majority, or dissolve the Chambers and convene new elections.

GOVERNMENT CRISIS: WHAT DOES IT MEAN AND WHAT HAPPENS IF THE EXECUTIVE FALLS?

Parliamentary government crisis

“Government crisis” is a term that is often misused. In fact, in our legal system, what is commonly defined as a crisis of government, in technical terms is indicated by parliamentary crisis me extra-parliamentary crisis.

There is talk of a crisis of parliamentary government when the Council of Ministers:

  • is hit by a censorship movement by one of the two Houses of Parliament;
  • does not obtain the initial vote of confidence;
  • in the event of a vote against one of the Chambers after having raised the question of confidence on an issue.

Extra-parliamentary government crisis

In all other cases they do not fall within the three cases described above, so when the crisis is essentially politics – we speak, instead, of extra-parliamentary crisis.


A typical example is when the political majority that led to the appointment of ministers fails in Parliament. As is known, in fact, the government is an expression of the majority only, therefore, if this were to fail, it would mean that the government no longer reflects the political orientation of the country.

Possible solutions to the government crisis

When the government crisis occurs, it is up to the President of the Republic to take charge of the situation. In practice, you should try all possible solutions to prevent the government from “falling”.

The President of the Republic must listen to the leaders of the political forces and the group leaders of the Chamber and the Senate. Depending on the severity of the situation, one of the following solutions can be adopted:

  • the referral to the ChambersIn other words, submitting the government to an additional verification of the relationship of trust in both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies;
  • appoint a new government, chaired by the Prime Minister himself, but modifying the structure of the Ministers and possibly the Ministries;
  • appoint a new prime minister within the same majority, or within a different political majority;
  • Form a technical or purpose government with a duration limited to the period of time until the new elections.

New elections

It may happen that the situation is so compromised that it cannot be resolved in one of the ways mentioned above. Even if it’s one residual and exceptional hypothesis, in these cases the President of the Republic has no choice but to call political electionsThese will serve to obtain a new majority that will have the task of forming an executive that represents the political orientation of the country.


Therefore, the president will have to dissolve the chambers and indicate the early elections. These must take place no earlier than 45 days after the declaration of the government crisis and within a maximum period of 70 days.

What happens if the government falls?

We have seen that calling elections is an extreme solution, which can be followed if the other resolution methods are in vain.

We generally proceed to appointment of new members, altering the previous composition of the Cabinet.

The fall of the government does not automatically mean that all ministers must immediately leave office. They remain in office until the formation of the new government or the elections.

During this time, the outgoing government can only carry out acts of ordinary administration.

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