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Italian PM hands in resignation
ROME (BBC News) 30 min. ago – Italian PM Romano Prodi has handed his resignation to the country’s president after losing a crucial foreign policy vote in the Senate. President Giorgio Napolitano is now expected to hold talks with political leaders before reaching a decision.
In the vote, several of Mr Prodi’s coalition partners opposed troop deployments in Afghanistan and plans to expand a US airbase (Vicenza) in northern Italy.
The BBC’s Jonny Dymond in Rome says it is not a foregone conclusion that the government will fall.
VICENZA (BBC News) Feb. 17 – Tens of thousands of people have marched in the north-eastern Italian city of Vicenza against a planned extension of the US army base there.
Organisers say the majority of local people are opposed to US plans. They say Prime Minister Romano Prodi has ignored strong local objections.
Mr Prodi is going ahead with a plan agreed by his pro-US predecessor, Silvio Berlusconi. Despite fears of possible violence, the march passed off peacefully.
Thank you Oui.
Again Prodi faces the problems of holding together a coalition that encompasses the Italian left — including radicals and pacifists.
I don’t know why he and D’Alema insisted on honoring Berlusconi’s agreement for the base expansion.
Prodi Steps Down
I don’t know why he and D’Alema insisted on honoring Berlusconi’s agreement for the base expansion.
That’s my question, too. And I just don’t get it…he loses this vote and resigns? What else is going on?
Bad reflex.
Perhaps it is a form of political cover now Prodi or whoever replaces him can easily saw that they just don’t have the votes to push through the Bush/ Bellisconi plans. I am not sure why the conservatives didn’t vote with the PM ala the British and Iraq.
My guess is that the Italian president won’t accept Prodi’s resignation, but then Prodi has cover with our administration when he reluctantly refuses to do as we asked.
President of the Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, has finished his consultations with the various parties of both coalitions, and will announce his decisions tomorrow.
From what is reported by La Repubblica, it seems that Prodi has picked up the support of three more senators; Marco Follini, previously of Berlusconi’s coalition before Silvio had him fired as general secretary of the Union of Christian Democrats (Berlusconi’s party is Forza Italia!); an unnamed senator from Cdl, House of Liberty (don’t gag, that’s the real name! Casa della libertà), Berlusconi’s opposition coalition; and Luigi Pallaro, a previously non-aligned senator elected by Italian citizens residing abroad. The two defectors from the center-right were won over by the omission of DICO, (recognition of civil unions for couples, hetero and gay) from Prodi’s new 12-point plan. Pallaro joined because of the plan’s promise of support for Italians residing abroad.
It seems that the two dissident senators from Rifondazione Comunista have been read the riot act by their party members and will vote with Prodi’s coalition, except on Afghanistan, but there should be enough votes so that if they abstain, Prodi still retains the votes necessary.
De gondi at the Euro Tribune has excellent posts here and here.
Yesterday I was surprised to read the strong condemnation by members of the Refounded Communist Party against their two dissenting senators. Evidently fear of another Berlusoni government is stronger than tolerating dissent among party members.
Seeing these pictures of the neo-fascists from Alleanza Nazionale demonstrating against Prodi does give me a sense of the urgency that the center-left coalition feels.
Go home!
Hopefully there are other means by which the dissidents can influence policy, especially to stop the expansion of the US base at Vicenza.