Monti bis?

A frequent element politial discussions here has been whether Mario Monti will continue in government after next Spring’s elections.  (As of yesterday, it was finally decided these would be held on March 10, provided a new electoral law is adopted.)  This is usually referred to as "Monti bis" (Monti encore).  Some see him in a ministerial position -- possibly finance.  His participation, it's said, would reassure the rest of the world -- and Italians, too -- that the new government would continue his sober approach to governance.  Others see him returning, not as a minister, but as prime minister.  Monti, himself, has said he would accept the position if conditions somehow required it.  I don't think, though, he's indicated just what those conditions might be.

Yesterday, I read the most affirmative statement I’ve seen so far (admittedly from a fairly small sample) that Monti will continue as prime minister.  Curzio Maltese, a journalist with La Repubblica who writes a regular column in the paper’s weekend magazine, Il venerdìi di Repubblica, says that, whichever party wins the elections, it’s 90 percent certain Monti will be the prime minister.  This, says Maltese, is because the Italian political class lost its legitimacy 20 years ago with the Tangentopoli scandals and hasn’t yet been replaced by a new generation.  He cites Germany, Spain, and Great Britain (he could have included France) as countries where credible national leaders have come out of the political parties.  This isn’t possible in Italy, he says, and for this reason, even if one or a coalition of parties wins the March elections, he’s virtually certain Monti will be prime minister.  We’ll see in a few months.