The clearcut general election victory of Mr Silvio Berlusconi is a potential watershed in Italian and European politics. By winning a majority in both houses of parliament he and his Forza Italia party could well have laid the ground for a more stable and long-lived government than has been the norm in Italy. The sharp shift to the right will alter the existing balance of political forces and policies in the European Union, which have been dominated in recent years by centre-left governments.
There have been few more polarised general election contests than this in Italy's post-war history. Mr Berlusconi has been elected on a radical programme to restructure Italian public administration, raise pensions, cut taxes and create 1.5 million jobs through a programme of public works. Mr Berlusconi's billionaire status, successive investigations of his alleged corruption, his monopoly of private television stations and his alleged links with the mafia attracted hostile attention not only from his domestic adversaries but from a broad range of international media and political interests, who questioned whether he is ethically fit for the office. Now that he has been elected such comment has been more guarded, although several EU ministers have pledged to be vigilant about whether his taxation and immigration policies are in keeping with common EU policies. Mr Berlusconi has hinted he will develop his own relationship with Mr Bush's new right administration in Washington.
Much will depend on how he forms his government and then formulates and implements its policies. Of his political allies, the populist anti-immigrant Northern League saw its vote collapse, while the formerly fascist Alianca Italia did somewhat better in the polls. Neither party has sufficient votes to destabilise Mr Berlusconi's government. He has pledged to stimulate the Italian economy with deep tax cuts after five years of austerity to prepare for entry to the euro, raising concerns that this would breach the EU commitment to keep public deficits within agreed guidelines. There are several interesting parallels here with Ireland's recent brushes with the European Commission.
Mr Berlusconi squarely defeated the centre-left coalition led by the former mayor of Rome, Mr Francesco Rutelli, giving him a democratic mandate and legitimacy. Voters found their record in office over the last five years wanting - not least their failure to deliver on promised political restructuring and their co-operation with the opposition despite hostile political rhetoric. Mr Berlusconi's authoritarian instincts will be tested most clearly in the approach he takes to the state television services, adding political control of them to that of his own television and communications empire.
He would reassure his sympathisers and deflect his critics by relinquishing control of his media empire and putting distance between his party and the Northern League, now that he does not need their support. His EU partners will expect him to respect the common rules created to guarantee a stable euro. Italy's future under its new government will for this reason affect the lives of many other Europeans in coming years.