Italian PM Prodi survives confidence vote in Senate |
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Thu, 01 Mar 2007 00:39
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ROME (XFN-ASIA) - Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi survived a close vote of confidence in the Senate, ending a week-long political crisis after his surprise resignation.The former European Commission chief, serving his second stint as prime minister, is expected to sail through another vote tomorrow in the Chamber of Deputies, where he has a comfortable majority.Prodi won by 162 votes to 157. Two senators whose votes were uncertain ahead of the ballot, independent Luigi Pollaro and opposition centrist Marco Follini, supported Prodi.Four of Italy's seven unelected senators for life -- including 97-year-old Rita Levi Montalcini, who returned from a trip to Dubai for the vote -- widened the margin of victory.Prodi's disparate centre-left coalition, which won a general election 10 months ago by a hair's breadth, was thrown into crisis last week when the prime minister resigned after losing a vote of support on foreign policy issues.Two communist senators opposed to Rome's military mission in Afghanistan and to the planned expansion of a US airbase in northern Italy sparked the crisis by withholding support.President Giorgio Napolitano refused Prodi's offer to resign and called for the confidence vote. Prodi rallied his coalition around a 12-point 'non-negotiable' pact before agreeing to stay on.afp/mas
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Italy's senate to hold confidence vote for Prodi government Wednesday 