Despite these difficult circumstances Prodi however showed his ability and his will to resist, putting together a cabinet of great experts, first of all his minister of the Exchequer, former president of Banca d'Italia Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. Under Ciampi's rule Prodi's government adopted in 1996 and 1997 two "blood, sweat and tears-budgets", that helped to reduce inflation and financial deficit to a level within the criteria of the Maastricht treaty. The fair reward for these efforts was the admission of Italy to the Euro-club in may 1998.
This positive though unexpected outcome became, however, the signal to open fire on the successful government. While party politicians like D'Alema failed to reform the constitution or even their own parties and while opposition leaders like Silvio Berlusconi (Forza Italia) were mainly occupied with legal prosecution, Prodi and his ministers had grown in their prestige, especially in the European partner states, to an extent that started to put into the shade the party leaders, who considered themselves still masters of the situation.
A first attempt to overthrow his government had shown the real power of Prodi. In autumn 1997 Communist leader Fausto Bertinotti (Rifondazione Comunista, PRC) had already withdrawn his support from the government, but then was forced by his own companions and by marching workers to move back. This year Bertinotti, a bizarre and eloquent former union leader who is proud of never having signed a single wage agreement, had learned the lesson, acting before popular protest could grow.
When Prodi and Ciampi presented their budget for 1999 he asked them to introduce measures like the assumption of 200.000 workers in the underdeveloped South and at their refusal he decided to withdraw his support in parliament. Even this time Prodi seemed to have another ace in his pockets. because the communist party president and founder Armando Cossutta refused to follow the line of the secretary. The conflict between Bertinotti, who got the support of the Trotzkist party wing, and Cossutta's Stalinists provoked a party split with most of the communists in parliament following Cossutta. At this point the numbers seemed to be sufficient to reconfirm Prodi in a new confidence vote, but with two defections in the last minute the situation became again critical.
Prodi fell just one missing vote. When he left his government seat he again showed great style and composure. But when a few days later somebody sustained, that he wasn't even able to count his supporters, he refused vigorously this definition, claiming that his first care had always been fidelity to the pact with his voters. It was clear that Prodi and his supporters pointed to new elections to renew their mandate.
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