Editing Francesco Cossiga (section)

==="Pickaxe-wielder" president===
It was in his last two years as president that Cossiga began to express some unusual opinions regarding the Italian political system. He opined that the Italian parties, especially the Christian Democrats and the Communists had to take into account the deep changes brought about by the fall of the [[Berlin Wall]] and the end of the [[Cold War]].<ref name=washingtonpost>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/17/AR2010081701409_2.html The Washington Post: Veteran Italian politician Cossiga dies]{{dead link|date=June 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> According to him, DC and PCI would therefore have been seriously affected by this change, but Cossiga believed that political parties and the same institutions refused to recognize it.

[[File:Cossiga Francesco 3.jpg|thumb|220px|left|President Cossiga in his office at [[Quirinal Palace]]]]
Thus, a period of conflict and political controversy began, often provocative and deliberately excessive, and with very strong media exposure. These statements, soon dubbed "''esternazioni''", or "[[mattock]] blows" (''picconate''), were considered by many to be inappropriate for a President,<ref>[http://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/1991/11/28/bobbio-restera-sotto-le-macerie.html Bobbio: "Cossiga resterà sotto le macerie"]</ref> and often beyond his constitutional powers; also, his mental health was doubted and Cossiga had to declare "I am the fake madman who speaks the truth."<ref name=washingtonpost /> Cossiga suffered from [[bipolar disorder]] and [[Depression (mood)|depression]] in the last years of his life.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.corriere.it/politica/10_agosto_19/cossiga-medici-da-pasqua-smise-di-giocarci_441afb3e-ab71-11df-94af-00144f02aabe.shtml|title=I medici: da Pasqua smise di curarsi|work=corriere.it|access-date=3 August 2015}}</ref>

Among the statements of the President, there were also allegations of excessive politicization of the [[judiciary system]], and the stigmatization of the fact that young magistrates, who just came into service, were immediately destined for the Sicilian prosecutor to carry out [[Sicilian Mafia|mafia]] proceedings.<ref>''Storia della Prima Repubblica'', parte VI, di Paolo Mieli, 3D produzioni video.</ref>

For his changed attitude, Cossiga received various criticisms from almost every party, with the exception of the [[Italian Social Movement]], which stood beside him in defence of the "picconate". He will, amongst other things, be considered one of the first "cleansers" of MSI, who recognized it as a constitutional and democratic force.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.atuttadestra.net/index.php/archives/24821 |title=Cossiga, Storace: "E' stato il primo sdoganatore del Msi" |access-date=24 April 2017 |archive-date=2 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150202174514/http://www.atuttadestra.net/index.php/archives/24821 |url-status=dead }}</ref>