Berlusconi resigns during meeting with president

Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi, who refused for weeks to concede electoral defeat, today handed in his resignation to the president, paving the way for a centre-left government led by Romano Prodi.

During the 30-minute meeting at the Quirinale Palace, President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi asked Berlusconi to remain on as caretaker prime minister, the president’s office said in a statement.