Berlusconi wins confidence vote and brief reprieve

ITALIAN Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi won a crucial vote of confidence yesterday, giving his struggling centre-right government a new, but probably short, lease of life.

Berlusconi, who said before yesterday’s vote that the country would be thrown into economic and social catastrophe if his government was to collapse now, won the vote 316 for and 301 against.

The result was in doubt until the last minute and even some centre-right members expressed uncertainty and showed nervousness before the vote on whether the government would pull through.