History of the Italian Republic the first time. The 1994 elections also swept media magnate Silvio Berlusconi (leader of "Pole of Freedoms" coalition, which included Forza Italia, the regionalist far-right "Lega Nord" party and the far-right "Alleanza Nazionale"), into office as Prime Minister. Berlusconi, however, was forced to step down in December 1994 when the "Lega Nord" withdrew support. The Berlusconi government was succeeded by a technical government headed by Lamberto Dini, which left office in early 1996. A series of center-left coalitions dominated Italy's political landscape between 1996 and 2001, which introduced a number of progressive reforms in areas such as social security. In
Domestic policy of the Nicolas Sarkozy administration government's mandate. Therefore, the president can be more implicated in the governmental policy. It was the case with Nicolas Sarkozy, who has been accused of being a "hyper-president" by his opponents. François Fillon appeared as too much submitted to the president. Nicolas Sarkozy had promised during the presidential campaign many reforms. He announced the government would be very dynamic. He pledged to completely revamp the higher education system, to overhaul the judiciary system, judged as too ancient, to lead profound fiscal and economic reforms, and to revise the integration and social benefits system. He pledged to create ministries dedicated to