Posted on 04/19/2006 11:57:01 PM PDT by familyop
Italy’s highest court on Wednesday cleared the way for Romano Prodi, the centre-left leader, to take over as prime minister by certifying his victory in last week’s hotly disputed general election.
Having reviewed several thousand contested ballot papers, the Court of Cassation confirmed that Mr Prodi’s alliance had defeated the centre-right government of Silvio Berlusconi, the premier who has governed Italy since 2001.
Mr Berlusconi refused last week to acknowledge Mr Prodi’s victory, but some politicians in his coalition have signalled their willingness to accept the result and go into opposition.
They calculate that, with a mere two-seat majority in the Senate, parliament’s upper house, a Prodi government may not last long and the centre-right may have an opportunity to regain power in a fresh election.
“Anyone who has a minimum of experience in the Senate knows that it is simply impossible to govern there with a majority even of 10 seats,” said Roberto Antonione, a senator in Mr Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party.
Other politicians suspect that Mr Prodi may find it hard to control his multi-party coalition, which stretches from centrist ex-Christian Democrats to ardent communists, because he does not lead a party of his own.
Lex live: Italian bonds Click here However, Mr Prodi insists his government will not be weak, and he has been busy holding discussions with his allies in search of the compromises needed to distribute ministerial portfolios among his coalition’s parties.
Perhaps the most important job is that of finance minister, for the new government’s most urgent duty will be the approval of a four-year economic planning document that must outline steps to control Italy’s budget deficit and public debt.
The International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday Italy’s deficit would rise to 4 per cent of gross domestic product this year and 4.3 per cent in 2007, the year the Berlusconi government promised it would fall below 3 per cent.
Italy’s president says he will not serve second term Click here To reassure financial markets, Mr Prodi may appoint a non-party expert such as Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa, a former member of the European Central Bank’s executive board, or Mario Monti, a former European commissioner for competition and the internal market.
Mr Prodi took similar action during his first premiership from 1996 to 1998, assigning the treasury ministry to Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, a former Bank of Italy governor. The aim was to show that his government would clean up Italy’s public finances in time to join the eurozone as a founder-member.
Mr Ciampi is now Italy’s head of state and, in a twist of fate, is proving reluctant to appoint Mr Prodi as prime minister quickly. Mr Ciampi’s seven-year presidential term ends on May 18, and he believes the task properly belongs to his successor.
A proposal to install Mr Berlusconi in the presidency was aired on Wednesday by Sandro Bondi, Forza Italia’s national co-ordinator, who said it would be a fair exchange for letting Mr Prodi become prime minister.
But Luciano Violante, a senior centre-left politician, dismissed the idea, saying: “It’s a strange country where it’s the new opposition that proposes candidates.”
Oh great. Prodi might as well put on a turban now as Italy moves from "ally" to "Spaniard".
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