Italian body politic is in pathological condition, President tells nation

ITALY'S most prestigious daily, Corriere Della Sera, recently carried a front page leader commenting on the changing times in…

ITALY'S most prestigious daily, Corriere Della Sera, recently carried a front page leader commenting on the changing times in Italian politics. Once, it wrote, foreigners found it impossible to understand Italian politics; nowadays Italians find it impossible to understand Italian politics.

The point was underlined this weekend with confirmation that the present political crisis will drag on for at least another week. This follows President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro's announcement that, rather than appoint a new prime minister, he would grant a "break" in the current round of consultations.

The crisis formally