Italian Prime Minister Prodi Resigns

Jan 24, 07:10 PM

Italy, with a sore history of political instability, will now face early elections or a new caretaker government appointed by President Giorgio Napolitano, who wants the country's electoral system overhauled before the next national vote.

Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, whose right-wing party now leads in the polls, Thursday night swiftly called for snap elections.

Berlusconi, a millionaire media magnate who held power for five years, said he is preparing a new center-right program to sway voters. "We'll say what we intend to do in our first 100 days. We want a big majority in the House and the Senate," he said.

Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni, head of the Democratic Party that was a senior partner in Prodi's center-left coalition, said early elections would destabilize an already shaky political scene. "Elections would push the country into a dramatic crisis," Veltroni said.

Napolitano will consult with parliament speakers, party whips and former heads of state Friday. Napolitano has previously indicated that he wanted electoral reforms and, specifically, a new voting law to replace one pushed through in the last days of Berlusconi's term.

The law has allowed small parties disproportionate power and makes for difficult-to-control multiparty coalitions.

No matter what, Italy, which has weathered 61 governments in the six decades since World War II, will again face months of political turmoil at a time of some public distress. Prices of food and utilities have jumped in the past year. Public confidence in government has tumbled.

A year ago, 45 percent of the public expressed support for the government. This week, polls showed that support had dwindled to 30 percent.

Prodi had been under pressure to resign Thursday but he went to the Senate to try to shore up support for stronger finance and economic reform, "which is what this country needs," he said.

"Stopping this government now is a luxury that Italy can't afford," Prodi said.

Prodi held together a wobbly nine-party coalition for much of the past 20 months. He was elected to a five-year term in April 2004 when the center-left coalition won the closest ballot in modern Italian history. He saw his support slip away less than two weeks ago when Justice Minister Clemente Mastella was caught up in a corruption scandal.

Mastella resigned Jan. 16 after he and his wife were named suspects in a criminal investigation of public tenders. But Mastella had said his small Christian democrat party, Udeur, would continue to support Prodi.

Mastella bolted five days later _ risking as many as three votes for Prodi who held a razor-thin majority _ after complaining that allies in the government were not giving him enough support.

Prodi's government fell four votes short of survival, 161 to 156, with one abstention.

Tensions were high throughout the debate and the vote. Sen. Nuccio Cusumano, who decided to break ranks with Udeur and support Prodi, was verbally assaulted by members to the point that he began to cry and then collapsed. Cusumano was taken out on a stretcher, suspending the session.

As he announced vote totals Thursday night, Senate President Franco Marini was annoyed by cheers from one side of the Senate and then spied a bottle of champagne. "No. No. No!! Put that bottle away, there. We are not at the osteria," he said.

According to an RAI state television poll, the public is split on snap elections. About 45 percent support elections now; about 50 percent are against.

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