Word: andreotti
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...ceremonies began with an uncommonly festive air. In the spacious Hall of the Frescoes in Rome's Palazzo Chigi, Giulio Andreotti, newly installed as Premier of his fourth government, was swearing in 46 new Cabinet Under Secretaries. After that, he would go to the adjoining Chamber of Deputies to present his new government and initiate the vote of confidence that for the first time in three decades would bring Italy's Communist Party into the parliamentary majority. Just as the oaths were being completed, an official raced up with a message. Andreotti's face froze. The news...
...Christian Democrats could probably have expanded the 38.7% of the vote they got in 1976-but only at the expense of other non-Communist parties. The Communists, who got 34.4% of the vote in 1976, would probably also have picked up support. So instead of risking an election, Andreotti skillfully dithered until Berlinguer dropped his call for full Cabinet representation, then made it clear that Berlinguer would have to pay a price for a place in the majority...
Most important, the Communists will have to share responsibility for tough measures aimed at dealing with the problems of big deficits, broad unemployment (1.7 million) and high inflation (at 14%, Europe's worst) that helped touch off the crisis. After Andreotti becomes Premier for the fourth time this week, he plans to cut spending, increase tariffs, curb wage hikes and channel more funds to private investors through loans and tax incentives in order to spur industrial development. He will also try to close a projected $10 billion budget gap by reducing such benefits as medical care and pensions...
Like Berlinguer, Andreotti also moved swiftly to defend his deal. Christian Democratic spokesmen insisted that the arrangement with the Communists was indeed temporary and not "organic." Said the Christian Democratic newspaper ll Popolo: "The basic differences between the parties are certainly not canceled...
Though Berlinguer has promised to respect Italy's ties to NATO and is expected cautiously not to interfere in foreign relations, there were few cheers abroad for Andreotti's agreement with the Communists. But the Carter Administration, which had earlier expressed a hope that Communist influence in democratic countries would be "reduced," let last week's development pass without public comment. Defending the arrangement, one Italian Cabinet official said that the agreement with the Communists would have the "advantages of clarity and effectiveness" for the government, "because now there is not only a tough, austere and serious...