ITALY YESTERDAY appeared to move ever closer to an early general election following the rejection by president Giorgio Napolitano of a government decree, intended to increase the taxation powers of local authorities.
The federalist fiscal reform, keenly promoted by the Northern League, the key coalition partner in prime minister Silvio Berlusconi’s centre-right government, had been blocked by a parliamentary committee on Thursday night.
Only hours after parliament blocked the measure, however, the government presented the blocked reform in the shape of a decree.
In a letter to the prime minister, Mr Napolitano said he could not “receive” the decree, essentially because the government had not followed the correct procedures.
Most commentators argued that the attempt to bulldoze the measure through, using the shortcut of a government decree, was not only blatantly unconstitutional but also clear evidence of the growing power of the Northern League which had threatened to pull the plug on the Berlusconi government if the measure was not converted into law.
Mr Berlusconi, under huge pressure because of his involvement in the “Rubygate” sex scandal and with a narrow majority in the lower house, desperately needs to keep the league on board.
Pierluigi Bersani, leader of the major opposition force, the Democratic Party, called it “shameful” that the government had tried to sidestep parliament.
Antonio Di Pietro, leader of the Italy of Values party, called the incident “definite proof that the country is fast becoming a dangerous regime”.
On the judicial front, there was little peace for the embattled prime minister yesterday.
The leftist daily, Il Fatto Quotidiano, claimed that compromising pictures taken at “sexy” parties at the prime minister’s private residences had begun to circulate among media sources.
So insistent were the rumours that Milan’s chief prosecutor, Edmondo Bruti Liberati, issued a statement on Thursday to the effect that photos acquired during the Rubygate investigation had no “penal relevance”.
However Il Fatto claimed yesterday that the pictures show a naked Mr Berlusconi, who was surrounded by young women at one of his parties.