Berlusconi U-turn saves Italy’s government

Italian centre-right leader Silvio Berlusconi promised to support prime minister Enrico Letta in a confidence vote yesterday, staging a U-turn only days after he provoked a crisis by pulling his ministers out of the government.

Berlusconi abruptly changed course as dozens of rebels in his People of Freedom party prepared to vote for Letta. “We have decided, not without some internal strife, to support the government,” the media tycoon told the Senate at the end of a fiery debate.

His decision leaves Letta in office but opens a series of questions about the already fragmented Italian political landscape, including whether the coalition will be able to operate normally and pass badly needed economic reforms.