Monti to resign once budget is passed

Mario Monti, the Italian prime minister announced on Saturday that he would resign once the 2013 budget is approved, potentially bringing forward an election and fuelling speculation that he might run.

The surprise declaration came two days after Silvio Berlusconi’s party withdrew parliamentary support for the government and hours after Berlusconi said he would run to become premier for a fifth time.

Parliament is already poised to pass the budget by Christmas, and so Monti’s resignation probably brings the expected vote forward by no more than a month to February. Elections must follow no more than 70 days after Giorgio Napolitano, the president, dissolves parliament.