Berlusconi fights to save coalition

ITALIAN prime minister Silvio Berlusconi desperately fought to save his coalition government last night.

The two-year-old government has been in crisis since Wednesday when one of Mr Berlusconi’s coalition partners, Umberto Bossi of the Northern League, threatened to pull out of the four-party government.

The coalition has been embroiled in controversy over comments made by Mr Berlusconi and junior minister Stefano Stefani about German people.

Mr Berlusconi upped the stakes yesterday with an invitation to Mr Stefani, a member of the Northern League, to resign over his description of Germans as “hypernationalistic blondes”.

At the same time the deputy prime minister, Gianfranco Fini, leader of the post-fascist National Alliance party, told Mr Bossi to make up his mind about staying in government, or else get out.

“Whatever happens this government will keep on going. But I do not think the Northern League will step out,” Mr Fini said.

The Italians were already in trouble with the Germans following Mr Berlusconi’s gaffe in the European Parliament last week when he suggested a German MEP should play a Nazi concentration camp guard in an upcoming film.

linked a German MEP with the role of a Nazi kapo in a concentration camp.

Just as that issue was cleared up with As Mr Berlusconi came under pressure to apologise, Mr Stefani made his comment, which resulted in German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder cancelling a planned trip to Italy.

Mr Fini said he did not believe the incident would be used by Italian politicians against other politicians or by the Germans. “Because a fool is just a fool and nothing but a fool“, he said, referring to Mr Stefani.

While Mr Berlusconi cannot force a member of parliament to resign, this can be achieved through a vote of no confidence. However, Mr Fini said yesterday evening that he believed it would not come to this as the junior minister would respect Mr Berlusconi’s request to him to resign.

The Northern League, who pulled the plug on Mr Berlusconi’s last government in 1994, believe their agenda is not being followed through by their coalition partners. They want a greater division between the regions in Italy and more hardline policies to keep out illegal immigrants.

However, Mr Berlusconi has sufficient seats in the Parliament with the National Alliance and the Christian Democrats to retain his majority even if Mr Bossi pulls out of government.