Berlusconi 'open to early election talks'

Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi said he would consider calling early general elections after his conservative coalition suffered a stinging defeat in regional ballots this week, reports said.

Berlusconi said last night he was ready to discuss with his coalition partners whether to call for early elections in October, but added that he would prefer his government to serve until the end of its term in mid-2006, news agencies ANSA and Apcom reported.

“I never refused to discuss the possibility of elections in October,” Berlusconi was quoted as saying by Apcom. “But, frankly, it seems to me that according to the information we have it would be necessary instead to take advantage of another whole year to finish all that we have started.”

The premier also said he was open to reshuffling his government’s posts to “strengthen the team”, Apcom reported.

Early in the week the ruling centre-right coalition lost 11 of the 13 regions that were up for grabs to centre-left opposition, and many analysts said the outcome signalled trouble for Berlusconi, the longest-serving premier in post-war Italy.