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Italy Crisis: PM Enrico Letta Faces Confidence Vote
Italy’s parliament is due to hold a vote of confidence in the governing coalition, with an attempt to topple PM Enrico Letta appearing to falter.
The vote was called after Silvio Berlusconi ordered ministers in his centre-right People of Freedom party (PDL) to leave the government.
But on the eve of the vote, leading PDL figures defied him, saying they would back Mr Letta.
Mr Letta has rejected the resignations of the five PDL ministers.
Berlusconi, a former prime minister, has accused Mr Letta of allowing his “political assassination through judicial means” – a reference to Berlusconi’s criminal conviction for tax fraud in August.
“Even though I understand the risks that I am taking on, I have decided to put an end to the Letta government,” Berlusconi said in a letter to the weekly magazine Tempi.
But in an apparent break with Berlusconi, his deputy and party secretary Angelino Alfano said PDL MPs should back Mr Letta in Wednesday’s confidence vote.
“I am firmly convinced that our party as a whole should vote confidence in Letta,” said Mr Alfano, who is also Italy’s interior minister.
His comments caused the Italian stock market to jump on Tuesday as investors appeared increasingly confident that the government would not fall.
Another once-loyal supporter, Carlo Giovanardi, a senator from Berlusconi’s party, said 40 PDL senators were ready to vote for the government.
“We want to remain a moderate force,” he said.
Fabrizio Cicchitto, a PDL deputy, said: “Making the government fall would be a mistake.”
Mr Cicchitto said any new government would be “hostile to the PDL” and would be a boon for Mr Letta’s centre-left Democratic Party.
On Tuesday, Mr Letta refused to accept the resignations of five ministers from the PDL, Italy’s Ansa news agency reported, citing a government source.
BBC
Posted by
Kasenge Richard
October 2, 2013 at 12:23 pm
Coalition government like its here in zambia HH vs Nevers Mumba.between the 2 of u who will lead yo coalition?choose now!Okey i will choose for u and answer is……none of u.come on cheer up.you know what,i like yo combination eg Fr bwalya and HH?
kakolwe
October 3, 2013 at 2:43 am
Humans like Kasenge Richard remind me of such charecters as one Kamalonga who will call a phone-in program on radio & start contributing only to ask the topic @ hand later.
ayoba
October 3, 2013 at 6:10 am
Spot on my brother Kakolwe, I am also shocked mwe. Maybe it was a futile attempt at humour, probably hahahaha would be appropriate even though I aint laughing. Yaba!!
Vvillage Chicken
October 3, 2013 at 9:27 am
Italy, like Greece, Spain, Portugal and Cyprus are members of the HIFRC-Heavily Indebted Formmerly Rich Countries. With the so called 3rd world countries ceasing to service questionable loans to these nations, they can only spiral into economic abyss and mafias like Silvio are happy to exploit…
atishani
October 3, 2013 at 12:20 pm
oh okay