ROME – Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, his power sapped by a break with an ally, will seek a show of confidence from his splintered coalition in September and resign if he loses, a party leader said.
Fabrizio Cicchitto, head of centre-right parliamentarians in the lower house, said Mr Berlusconi would give his coalition a final chance to close ranks.
“In September, Berlusconi will present a platform based on a few points. We hope that a majority can be found to support them and renew the confidence in the government . . . Otherwise, at that point, there can be no alternative to elections.”
Lower house speaker Gianfranco Fini, who split with Mr Berlusconi last week, allowed the prime minister to escape a full-blown showdown this week by letting a junior minister survive a confidence motion in parliament.
But Mr Fini’s supporters showed their strength by abstaining in the vote, making clear that they had enough votes to bring the government down if they had chosen to oppose it.
Mr Cicchitto did not specify what the points of Mr Berlusconi’s September platform would be. However, Italian media speculated they would be centred around reform of the justice system, taxes, devolution of power to regions and an economic programme for Italy’s poorer south.
When Mr Fini formed his breakaway faction, called Future and Freedom for Italy, he said it would “loyally support the government every time it acts within the framework of the electoral programme” but against it when it does not.
Mr Cicchitto’s words appeared to be a warning to Mr Fini that Mr Berlusconi would hold him to that.
If Mr Berlusconi calls a confidence vote and loses, which commentators say is likely given the tension between prime minister and house speaker, he would have to resign.
If a government resigns and Italy’s president fails to find someone who can form another one, he would be forced to dissolve parliament and call early elections.
Mr Berlusconi and his main coalition ally, the Northern League, say they would oppose the appointment of an interim government made up of so-called “technicians” – such as bankers, businessmen and academics – and push for snap elections in the autumn.
The political turmoil comes at a time when financial markets are watching to see whether the government will be strong enough to implement a €25 billion austerity package approved in parliament last week to rein in the deficit.
Economy minister Giulio Tremonti sounded a note of reassurance about the impact of the affair on Italy’s finances. “The political crisis, if it happens, will not have an impact on Italy’s public accounts,” he said. – (Reuters)