Prodi expected to form govt next week

Centre-left leader Romano Prodi is not expected to receive the nod to form Italy’s government until after parliament elects the country’s new president next week.

The delay would prolong the political limbo following the April 9-10 election, which the centre-left won by narrow margin over Silvio Berlusconi’s conservatives.

It would also give Prodi more time to define his Cabinet list, which has already caused some tension within his potentially unwieldy coalition.

“It will be a delay of a few days,” Prodi was quoted as saying in today’s newspapers. “But as I said, I was open to any solutions.”

Berlusconi stepped down as premier yesterday, clearing the way for a Prodi government. The conservative leader stays on as caretaker until the new government is installed.

It is up to the president to give the mandate, and Prodi hoped current President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi would do so.

Ciampi, whose terms expires in mid-May, has indicated he would leave the task to his successor, but recently the president came under pressure to tap Prodi to avoid any further delay.

Yesterday parliament ended the uncertainty by scheduling the election of the new president for May 8 – meaning there would not be enough time for Prodi to exhaust all the institutional procedures to form a government before then, analysts agreed.

The president is elected by politicians of both houses of parliament and representatives of Italy’s 20 regions – a total of about 1,000 electors. Italy’s top office holder, the president is a largely ceremonial, but highly respected figure.

It was not clear yet who the new president would be. Berlusconi and his conservative allies urged Ciampi, a unifying figure, to stay on. The centre-left has welcomed the proposal, but an influential coalition member also aspires to the job.

Ciampi has indicated he would not like another mandate, but experts say he might be persuaded of the contrary if a strong appeal came from both sides.