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Reluctant Hero · Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 10:25 pm Post subject: Prodi resigns as Italian PM

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7208000.stm

Prodi resigns after losing vote

Mr Prodi tendered his resignation at the presidential palace
The Italian Prime Minister, Romano Prodi, has resigned after being defeated in a vote of confidence in the upper house of parliament, the Senate.
Mr Prodi, who had led his centre-left coalition for 20 months, was defeated by five votes, despite the support of several unelected lifetime senators.

President Giorgio Napolitano must now choose whether to call a snap election or appoint an interim government.

Mr Prodi has been asked to continue in a caretaker capacity until then.

Correspondents say the centre-right opposition alliance led by the former Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, is regarded as well-placed to win an early election.

Mr Berlusconi announced a surprise party at his house in Rome.

"We will say what we want to do in the first 100 days of our government," he said.

'Political vacuum'

Mr Prodi won a confidence vote in the lower house of parliament on Wednesday, but had been widely expected to resign rather than risk a humiliating defeat in the Senate, with many commentators saying he had no chance of winning.

The loss of the small, centrist Udeur party's three seats in the upper house left him without a majority and requiring the support of several unelected life senators.

Stopping the government's work is a luxury Italy cannot afford

Romano Prodi

Analysis: Chaos and betrayal
Profile: Romano Prodi

Udeur pulled out, citing a lack of support for its leader, the former Justice Minister Clemente Mastella, who resigned after he and his wife were named in a corruption probe. They maintain they are innocent.

President Napolitano is reported to have advised Mr Prodi to consider resigning so the vote could be avoided.

In an impassioned speech before the vote, Mr Prodi warned that a defeat for the government would mean a paralysing "political vacuum" for weeks until a new coalition could be formed, or new elections held.

"Stopping the government's work is a luxury Italy cannot afford," he said.

Nuccio Cusumano (centre) fainted after reports of abuse and spitting

He said that the country needed continuity and backing the government would allow it to deal "urgently" with electoral reform, economic renewal and its role in international affairs.

At one stage it seemed he had won a much-needed defection when Udeur senator Nuccio Cusumano announced he was breaking with his party to back the government.

The move forced a brief suspension of the session after shouts that the senator was a "traitor" and a "clown" and one senator made a hand gesture as if to shoot Mr Cusumano.

Mr Cusumano was reportedly spat on, and then fainted, before being carried out on a stretcher.

At the end of the session, however, Mr Prodi's government fell four votes short of the 160 it needed to survive, with 161 senators voting against and one abstention.

Electoral system

The BBC's Christian Fraser in Rome says that Italy's president must now decide what happens now.

Mr Napolitano will begin consultations with the speakers of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies on Friday afternoon, his office said in a statement after Mr Prodi resigned.

HAVE YOUR SAY If Berlusconi is the other alternative, then I certainly hope Prodi can survive.
Jim Bo, Sweden
Send us your commentsThere is widespread agreement among several senior senators - even among the prime minister's opponents - that the country needs new electoral laws, our correspondent says.

Under the current system rushed in by Mr Berlusconi, smaller parties with only a handful of seats hold the balance of power in parliament.

Mr Napolitano is thought to favour appointing an interim government of technocrats to force through such reforms.

But other politicians, particularly those belonging to Mr Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, which is leading the polls, insist an election is the only way forward, he adds.

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Antoni · Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 7:55 pm Post subject:

After a long time, Hi, everybody once again.
The italian political situation will go from bad to worse in the furure. Now we are under a soft Golpe
with a very weak opposition.
Left and right wings are the same and now working for saving their historical privileges.

As sardinian Independentist, I look at all this with indifference and hoping nobody will be hurt.

Till the Independence.

http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=kxqYFFD6tns
http://www.teleindipendentzia.net/
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All these worlds are yours, except Europa. Attempt no landing there!!