Berlusconi survives confidence votes

[Freddie Stubbs]

Source: CBC

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has survived two confidence votes meant to determine if he should retain his position as leader of the government.

Berlusconi won Tuesday's votes in the Italian Senate and Chamber of Deputies.

In the Senate, he won by a vote of 162-135. In the second and most dramatic of Tuesday's votes, Berlusconi survived a confidence motion in the lower house by three votes.

If he had lost, Berlusconi would have been forced to resign, halfway through the five-year term of parliament.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/12/14/italy-berlusconi-votes.html

[ck4829]

1. At least his coalition is a little more broken now

One of his top former allies from the far right Northern League saw this whole thing as an opportunity to get more power and acted against Silvio.

[Iolanthe15]

2. Bravo Silvio !

Good, Signor Burlusconi is one of my favorites . All the ladies will be happy now ; he is a true ladies man and proud of it ! A loveable playboy of the Western world .

[rfranklin]

3. You forgot your sarcasm smilie...

You are not serious are you? This guy is a right wing criminal.

[Joanne98]

4. No way!

[pampango]

5. Looks like his main ally, the RW Northern League, wants an election by spring anyway.

As a result of the vote, Berlusconi has avoided being forced to resign. But, as even some of his allies noted in the runup to the debate, he will find it difficult to lead the country with such a razor-thin majority.

Berlusconi's main ally, the anti-immigrant Northern League, and its leader, Umberto Bossi, who are riding high in the polls, would prefer an early election to resolve the foreseeable stalemate. Given their leverage over Berlusconi, it is likely they will get one, even if they have to wait until spring.

In the meantime, Italy's prime minister will remain embattled. On 11 January, the constitutional court is to rule on a law that grants Berlusconi temporary immunity from prosecution. If the decision goes against him, he will return to court to face charges of having bribed his former offshore legal adviser, David Mills.

Successive scandals have virtually paralysed his administration, and there is growing discontent in Italy over the slow pace at which its economy is recovering from the global recession. The jubilation on the government benches that greeted today's result is unlikely to endure.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/14/silvio-berlusconi-confidence-vote-analysis