Italian PM bows to pressure to resign
Barbara McMahon in Rome Thursday April 21, 2005 The Guardian
Silvio Berlusconi resigned as prime minister of Italy yesterday but pledged to form a government with a new programme in an attempt to resolve the political crisis that has engulfed him.
The 69-year-old leader was forced into the move as a way of holding together his faltering four-way conservative coalition, which was threatening to collapse and pitch the country into snap elections.
Mr Berlusconi had been under intense pressure from two allies, the Union of Christian Democrats and the National Alliance, to make sweeping changes to his administration after suffering a heavy defeat in regional elections.
Under the terms of the Italian constitution, Mr Berlusconi is obliged to resign to make changes to his cabinet. Although the move gives him breathing space, it is a political blow. It also means he has been unable to achieve his cherished goal of being the first postwar Italian prime minister to serve an uninterrupted five-year term in office.