Italy’s Prodi struggles with coalition strife

JUST two days after his election victory was confirmed, Italy’s prime minister-in-waiting, Romano Prodi, struggled yesterday to contain a row within his centre-left coalition that boded ill for his future government.

Opponents always said Mr Prodi would be unable to hold together his broad alliance, which spans diehard communists to Roman Catholic moderates, but few expected the cracks to emerge even before Mr Prodi had formally taken office.

The fight centres on who should be made speakers of the two houses of parliament. The posts are highly prestigious and Mr Prodi’s three main coalition partners are all pressing for their candidates to be chosen.