Italy's PM Prodi resigned today after Senate defeat about Afghan war and ties with the U.S. military

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.khaleejtimes.ae/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2007/February/theworld_February659.xml§ion=theworld

Italian president accepts Prodi’s resignation
(Reuters)

21 February 2007



ROME - Italy’s president accepted Prime Minister Romano Prodi’s resignation on Wednesday following the government’s defeat in a Senate vote on foreign policy.

Prodi, in power for nine months, went to the Quirinale (president’s palace) after a cabinet crisis meeting.

President Giorgio Napolitano, the supreme arbiter of Italian politics, will hold talks with party leaders on Thursday to discuss the way forward.

Divided over the Afghan war and ties with the U.S. military, Prodi’s centre-left government was unable to secure enough votes for a motion backing Rome’s foreign policy.

There was no constitutional requirement for Prodi to step down. But Foreign Minister Massimo D’Alema had said before the Senate vote that the government should resign if it did not command majority support on foreign policy.

[xchrom]

1. wow -- i did not see that coming.

any word on whether italy will continue it's left ward tilt -- will it lean back to the right?

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

2. Opens The Door For Berlusconi

I pray I'm wrong, but I imagine he'll be back trying to take over the government again. Given how close the last election was, he's liable to make it.

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. The BBC doesn't list that as a likely option

President Giorgio Napolitano is now expected to hold talks with political leaders before reaching a decision.

He could accept the resignation or ask Mr Prodi to stay in power.
...
Mr Napolitano has several options, of which dissolving parliament and calling new elections is the most radical.
...
He could also ask Mr Prodi, who took office 10 months ago with a wafer-thin parliamentary majority, to test his support with a confidence vote, ask him to form a new government, choose a different prime minister from the ruling coalition or appoint a government of technocrats.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6383051.stm

[malaise]

4. Damn

I haven't even seen this. Italy is the greatest - this is government #59 or 60 since WW2. Wow. At least he has integrity. He may win a majority next time.