Italian president seeks to avoid early elections

ITALY’S president began a round of crisis talks between the country’s leading political figures yesterday aimed at averting early elections after the resignation of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi started a round of talks yesterday morning with senate speaker Marcello Pera which will end with a meeting with representatives of Mr Berlusconi’s own Forza Italia party this morning.

By that time, the composition of Mr Berlusconi’s next government - to carry him through to elections slated for the first half of next year - should have been agreed with the same coalition partners as in his outgoing administration.

Mr Ciampi has asked Mr Berlusconi to remain on as prime minister in the meantime to avoid a power-vacuum, while Mr Berlusconi sounds out the new blood who will form his next cabinet, already being dubbed Berlusconi II by Italy’s media.

Two key coalition partners, the centrist UDC and right-wing National Alliance, demanded Mr Berlusconi resign as a preamble to forming a new revamped government.

With its mandate due to last until May next year, the media magnate did not, however, fulfil his wish to lead the country’s first-ever full term government.

He nonetheless succeeded in leading, for more than 1,400 days, the longest- serving Italian government since a republic replaced the monarchy in 1948.

“I’m relaxed. As for the rest, you can’t always get what you want,” Mr Berlusconi told journalists yesterday.