ITALY: Silvio Berlusconi faces confidence vote that could drive him from office or cement his image as one of the great survivors of Italian politics
Record ID:
1534895
ITALY: Silvio Berlusconi faces confidence vote that could drive him from office or cement his image as one of the great survivors of Italian politics
- Title: ITALY: Silvio Berlusconi faces confidence vote that could drive him from office or cement his image as one of the great survivors of Italian politics
- Date: 15th December 2010
- Summary: TRAFFIC IN STREET JOGGER RUNNING PAST CARS (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ROME RESIDENT, RENZO GASPARI, SAYING "Let's hope the government will get the vote of confidence and that Berlusconi can stay in government." (REPORTER ASKING OFF CAMERA: "You think Berlusconi should govern until the end of the term?") "Yes, also because it's been my choice, I voted for him and I think it's fair for all the the people that voted him in that he can serve his term." PEOPLE GETTING OFF BUS (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ROME RESIDENT, GIOVANNI LOIACONO, SAYING "The best thing for Italy, right now, is to continue this way, continue like this because the other side, the opposition, does not have a suitable candidate for prime minister like our current premier." TRAFFIC WOMAN WALKING IN STREET READING NEWSPAPER (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ROME RESIDENT, SILVERIO, SAYING "Probably yes, probably. Maybe it will give things a twist that will make sense for the future." TRAFFIC
- Embargoed: 29th December 2010 21:24
- Keywords:
- Location: Italy, Italy
- Country: Italy
- Topics: Domestic Politics
- Reuters ID: LVADNWU0V69N323A3MWDZR5YNGIW
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
- Story Text: Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi faces a close parliamentary confidence vote on Tuesday (December 14) that could drive him from power or leave him clinging to a wafer-thin majority.
The 74-year-old media tycoon has repeatedly defied the sceptics, shrugging off a string of gaffes and scandals to win three elections and transform Italy's political landscape since gaining power for the first time in 1994.
But after a year overshadowed by corruption and sex scandals and an acrimonious split with former ally Gianfranco Fini that cost him a secure parliamentary majority, the day of reckoning has arrived for Berlusconi.
The day has been dubbed "B-day" by the Italian media, and newspapers ran headlines such as "Berlusconi, the day of truth", "Confidence up to last votes" and "Fini is scared" on Tuesday morning.
Berlusconi's struggling government faces a no-confidence motion in the lower house brought by the opposition and rebel centre-right deputies loyal to Fini, and a confidence vote it has put forward itself in the Senate where it has a majority.
If he loses in either the lower house or in the Senate, Berlusconi will have to step down, leaving President Giorgio Napolitano to appoint a new government or call elections more than two years before the scheduled date in 2013.
An intensive campaign of lobbying and persuasion appears to have won over enough deputies to give Berlusconi a chance of survival, with many commentators estimating the government may just have the numbers to scrape through Rome residents en-route to work on Tuesday appeared to agree.
"Let's hope the government will get the vote of confidence and Berlusconi can stay in government," Renzo Gaspari said.
"I voted for him and I think it's fair for all the the people that voted him in that he can serve his term," he added.
"The best thing for Italy, right now, is to continue this way, continue like this because the other side, the opposition, does not have a suitable candidate for prime minister like our current premier," Giovanni Loiacono said.
With 630 deputies in the lower house, Berlusconi in theory needs 316 votes to be sure of victory but the actual total required may be smaller due to abstentions or the absence of a heavily pregnant member of the opposition Democratic Party.
However, even if it survives the vote, the government's prospects remain extremely uncertain and a tiny majority would leave it unable to embark on major reforms, pointing to further crises ahead.
Rome resident Silverio said that regardless of the result, the vote was probably good for Italy.
"Maybe it will give things a twist that will make sense for the future," he said.
The Senate result is expected around 11.30 a.m. (1030 GMT), with the lower house result likely after 1.30 p.m. (1230 GMT), with police blocking off the centre of Rome to head off expected protests by thousands of students and others. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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