2013-01-11

Three Card Monti

Monti pictured at the unveiling of his campaign logo

Monti one month ago: "ROME—Premier Mario Monti on Tuesday defended his government's austerity measures as necessary to restore confidence in Italy's financial future, and warned voters to beware "magic solutions" promised by candidates in coming elections."

"[M]ario Monti, the outgoing prime minister now heading a centrist coalition against the main parties that supported his technocrat government last year, says he doesn’t want to be remembered as just a tax man, and now says it’s possible to reduce the IMU property tax, even though late last month he warned catastrophe would befall.