Prodi to address senate ahead of confidence vote

Romano Prodi prepared to address the Italian senate today, ahead of a confidence vote in the upper house that will decide whether or not his centre-left government survives.

Mr Prodi’s speech at the senate, where he has minimal majority, was expected to focus on Italy’s military mission in Afghanistan, measures to inject competition in the country’s economy, a project for a high-speed train linking Turin and Lyon, France, and family policies.

The vote in the senate was scheduled for tomorrow, a week after a defeat in the upper house in a vote on the Afghan mission and other foreign policy issues triggered Mr Prodi’s resignation.

After the resignation, Italy’s president held talks with all party leaders and received assurances that Mr Prodi had enough parliamentary backing to continue.

On Saturday the president asked Mr Prodi to stay on and put his government to a new vote of confidence in parliament.

If the government loses the confidence vote it will have to resign, opening a political crisis that might lead to the formation of a broad-coalition government or even early elections.

With only a one-seat majority in the senate, centre-left leaders have tried to broaden the coalition to some moderate senators.