Berlusconi quits but pledges to rebuild government

Alessandra Rizzo, Rome

The premier’s resignation brings an end to Italy’s longest-serving government since World War II.

Mr Berlusconi had been under pressure to resign since a stinging defeat in regional elections earlier this month.

President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi’s office confirmed in a statement that Mr Berlusconi had tendered the resignation of his Cabinet.

It is now up to Mr Ciampi to designate a candidate to assemble a new government, or dissolve parliament and call early elections.

Mr Ciampi, who begins formal political consultations today, is expected to give Mr Berlusconi the mandate to form a new Cabinet.

Earlier, Mr Berlusconi had addressed the Senate and informed the country of his plan to step down and form a new government.

“I accept the challenge of forming a new government,” he told parliament, bowing to demands from two rebel coalition partners for sweeping changes following a heavy defeat in recent regional elections.

The two parties had demanded the populist Northern League party should have a significantly reduced role in a new government.

Speaking with reporters later, Mr Berlusconi said he was planning only a few changes to his cabinet. A senior government politician said the industry, health and transport ministers were likely to lose their jobs in the reshuffle. None of the ministers are members of the Northern League. Under the Italian constitution, a prime minister is obliged to resign if he makes major changes to his cabinet.

Berlusconi put a brave face on the end of his ambition to become Italy’s first prime minister in modern history to lead the same administration for a full five-year term.

“With your confidence and your support, we have written important pages in our country’s history, with your confidence and your support I am sure we will write many more,” he told a packed upper house (Senate).

Mr Berlusconi, who had resisted pressure all week, took a swipe at Italy’s constitution for forcing him to quit. “In the most advanced Western democracies ... the premier who is directly elected by the people can change the government team when it becomes necessary without the need for long crises,” he said.

The turmoil was sparked when the Union of Christian Democrats quit the cabinet last week. On Tuesday the right-wing National Alliance, led by Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini, threatened to follow unless Mr Berlusconi gave way.

Assuming the prime minister can heal the wounds in his fractious coalition, he still faces an uphill struggle to improve his government’s standing and try to win the next general election, slated for spring 2006.