ITALY: Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is set to face a confidence vote on his government and despite the scandals, economic stagnation and intense pressure from financial markets plaguing him and his administration, he is expected to survive

Record ID: 327611

  • Title: ITALY: Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is set to face a confidence vote on his government and despite the scandals, economic stagnation and intense pressure from financial markets plaguing him and his administration, he is expected to survive
  • Date: 15th October 2011
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF DEMONSTRATORS WITH TENTS CAMPED NEAR THE BANK OF ITALY DEMONSTRATORS READING NEWSPAPERS (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) STUDENT AND PROTESTER, FEDERICO BRUNO SAYING: "I think Berlusconi will obtain the confidence because of all his 'buying' of members of parliament and because the opposition is not strong enough to fight him in any way, at least the parliamentary opposition. Luckily there are the people who will take to the street against them to show them that not all Italians are on their side, on the contrary, the majority are against." STREET (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ROME RESIDENT, CARLO SAYING: "I think the situation would not sort itself out quickly. The political parties would not be able to form a government quickly. We would need to find an arrangement that I don't see the present political class being capable of." STREET (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ROME RESIDENT, GUIDO MONTANARI SAYING: "I think it would be better (if Berlusconi falls). This way, we would go to new elections, this is the alternative to the government. He must fall and there has to be new elections. It has been a year now and this situation drags on." MORE OF DEMONSTRATORS NEAR TENTS
  • Embargoed: 30th October 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Italy, Italy
  • Country: Italy
  • Topics: Economy,Politics,People
  • Reuters ID: LVAD9CR9P0HCJ1OJJ09X9FG19GGR
  • Story Text: Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is expected to scrape through a vote of confidence on Friday (October 14), despite the scandals, economic stagnation and intense pressure from financial markets plaguing him and his administration.
    Berlusconi was forced to call the vote, to be held in the Chamber of Deputies early afternoon, after his divided centre-right government suffered a major embarrassment when it failed to pass a routine budget provision on Tuesday (October 11).
    He is seen surviving for now, just as he has survived many such votes, because squabbling factions in his coalition are still not ready to replace him.
    Centre-right newspaper Il Giornale ran with the headline: "Shame on those that give up!" calling on right-leaning parliamentarians to make sure they cast their vote in favour of Berlusconi.
    "Confidence in Tomorrow!" was the headline of left-wing paper Il Manifesto, relating to the protesters who are demonstrating against the political system.
    "Void of Confidence" was the Centre-Left daily L'Unita, over a picture showing the empty opposition benches yesterday as the left-wing parties chose not to listen to the prime minister's speech.
    On the streets patience is wearing thin, as Italians call for politicians to get down to work and start tackling the country's problems.
    Close to the Bank of Italy on a central Rome street, demonstrators are camping out in protest at the government's handling of the economic crisis. They will join a protest on Saturday (October 15) that will also be marked in at least seventy other countries around the world, in protest at the handling of the economic crisis.
    Despite the lack of support for the government the protesters are sure Berlusconi will win the confidence vote later today.
    "I think Berlusconi will obtain the confidence because of all his 'buying' of members of parliament and because the opposition is not strong enough to fight him in any way, at least the parliamentary opposition," said student and protester Federico Bruno.
    "Luckily there are the people who will take to the street against them to show them that not all Italians are on their side, on the contrary, the majority are against," Bruno said.
    But Italians seem to be quite clear that even without Berlusconi the country would still have enormous problems to face.
    "I think the situation would not sort itself out quickly," said Carlo, a Rome resident.
    "The political parties would not be able to form a government quickly. We would need to find an arrangement that I don't see the present political class being capable of," he said.
    But a growing majority of voices think an end to the Berlusconi era would at least allow the country to try a fresh start.
    "I think it would be better (if Berlusconi falls). This way, we would go to new elections, this is the alternative to the government," said Rome resident Guido Montanari.
    "He must fall and there has to be new elections. It has been a year now and this situation drags on," he added.
    The result from the vote is expected on Friday afternoon
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