Berlusconi to Resign, Form New Government, Allies Say
Submitted by Templar Titan on Mon, 04/18/2005 - 16:37.
By Steve Scherer in Rome April 18 (Bloomberg) -- Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi plans to resign to form a new government for the final year of the parliamentary term, bowing to an ally's demands for change after losing 11 out of 13 regional elections on April 3 and 4, leaders from two allied parties said. ``There will be a second Berlusconi government that adheres to the policies indicated by our party,'' Rocco Buttiglione, the president of the Union of Christian Democrats party who resigned as European Union Affairs Minister on April 15, said today in Rome. ``I'm convinced that it's possible to fortify the center- right coalition very quickly,'' Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini, the leader of the National Alliance, said in a statement. |
Support for Berlusconi, 68, has declined as the economy struggled, with growth last year slower than any of the dozen nations sharing the euro except for Portugal. Before national elections scheduled for 2006, allies including the Christian Democrats are opposing Berlusconi's plan to cut income taxes and boost spending on public works to help growth, instead demanding business-tax reductions and aid to Italy's depressed south. The resignation, which may come later today, will end Italy's 59th government since November of 1945, the longest-serving in the history of the post-World War II republic. The Union of Christian Democrats, the third-biggest party in the four-way coalition, pushed Berlusconi to take the step by withdrawing its ministers from the Cabinet April 15. Follini's Aims Christian Democrat leader Marco Follini last week asked the premier to resign and form a new government to revive support. Berlusconi refused as late as yesterday. A spokesman for Berlusconi declined to comment on his plans. Follini's goal is to set his party apart from Berlsuconi for future elections, said James Walston, head of international relations at the American University in Rome. Berlusconi's coalition won 8 percentage points less support than the opposition led by former European Commission President Romano Prodi in the regional elections. Berlusconi's Forza Italia party dropped more than 11 percentage points from 29 percent of total votes in the 2001 national elections. ``Follini is trying to prepare for Berlusconi's departure,'' Walston
said. ``When Berlusconi goes, he'll leave 20 to 30 percent of the electorate
up for grabs.'' To contact the editor responsible for this story: Original Article: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=apZgGw_hh9H4&refer=top_world_news |
