They called it the law that ‘scraps’ the old politicians. It’s the decree passed Monday night by the parliament of the Republic of San Marino, the micro state of 30.000 people placed in the middle of the Italian peninsula. The revolutionary law stops the activity of politicians that have been in the government for ten years , even if non consecutive. This will close the government’s door to about ten politicians. One sixth of the entire elected parliament, that is made up of sixty seats.
San Marino tries, with this measure, to change course after the end of the it’s connotation as a fiscal paradise, that brought well – being in the country for the past twenty years but now is fought by the international financial laws that put the government in serious trouble.
The law was born from a petition that the parliament promised to approve last October. It seems that citizens woke up after two decade of sleep in the comfort brought from the money that many Italians and foreigners brought to local banks in order not to pay taxes in their countries. Money that gave a lot of income to the State. In the last two years the opposition of Italian’s minister of economy, Giulio Tremonti, and the international fight against money - laundering forced the Republic to it’s knees. Some bank and financial institutes are near to bankruptcy, and the public budget is in red for the first time after many years. Citizens have become angry seeing their life standards dropping and protested against the government. 3.000 citizens, last December, filled the plaza in front of the parliament and made an assault trying to burst into the palace. The local police forces were not expecting the assault and a couple of people were able to enter the palace putting them in serious difficulty, but no one was injured. Meanwhile the minister of Foreign affairs, Antonella Mularoni, fled with the police from a secret door of the parliament.
Even in front of growing malcontent, the ‘old’ politicians were dissatisfied with the law that they define ‘anti – democratic’. If they voted against the law they would lose more approval from the people, so they tried to delay the vote waiting for a political crisis announced by a majority party: the Europopolari sammarinesi. The vote had been postponed for four months and reached the parliament the same day that Gian Marco Marcucci, member of the executive for the Europopolari sammarinesi, announced his resignation, and it was approved. Giving a new chance for the country and a powerful signal to Italy, were the gerontocracy problem is high.

Jeffrey Zani