Italy in race to appoint cabinet

ITALY’s president raced to appoint an emergency government yesterday to face a crisis endangering the whole eurozone, after Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi resigned to the jeers of thousands of protesters.

Just a few hours after central Rome echoed with street parties celebrating Mr Berlusconi’s departure, President Giorgio Napolitano began a rapid round of meetings with political parties at his hilltop palace to find a new prime minister and government.

The consultations were due to wind up yesterday evening, when Mr Napolitano was expected to ask former European Commissioner Mario Monti to form a government largely of technocrats in time for the opening of markets today. If he manages to secure sufficient backing in parliament, Mr Monti will push through reforms agreed by Mr Berlusconi with eurozone leaders to cut Italy’s massive debt and revive a chronically stagnant economy.