Thousands of protesters take to streets as Silvio Berlusconi faces fight for survival

Published on Saturday 11 December 2010 14:00

THOUSANDS protested in Rome against prime minister Silvio Berlusconi ahead of a no-confidence motion next week that could sink his government.

Families, pensioners and workers from across Italy streamed into squares in the capital to take part in marches organised by the opposition Democratic Party (PD).

"Berlusconi can buy what he wants, but not this square, not this Italy," said the PD's Enrico Letta, surrounded by flag-waving supporters.

"It's a big moment for Italian democracy. Rome is full of a great and determined presence demanding clean politics."

Berlusconi, a media billionaire, no longer enjoys an automatic majority in parliament since Gianfranco Fini, speaker of the lower house and co-founder of the People of Freedom party, broke with him over a series of scandals.

Fini and his supporters say the 74-year-old prime minister must resign or they will vote with the opposition against him on Tuesday and force him to step down.

But Berlusconi told supporters at a rally in Milan yesterday that his opponents were using smears to discredit him and that the ensuing political instability had harmed the country.

"An unimaginable situation has emerged that has unleashed an irrational and irresponsible crisis which is far from Italy's interests," he said.

Berlusconi has said he is confident of winning the vote in both houses. Financial markets have been largely unmoved by the turmoil.

If the prime minister loses, he would be forced to resign, a step which could prompt President Giorgio Napolitano to call early elections, which would not otherwise be due until 2013.

Slogans at yesterday's protest mocked the premier for scandals involving teenage girls and parties at his villa, while others focused on some judicial proceedings he is embroiled in.

"Italy will change if Berlusconi goes to jail," read one banner.

Two trials for corruption and tax fraud against Berlusconi have been effectively put on hold since his government approved a measure that allows him not to attend hearings because of a "legitimate impediment" due to his public office. The highest court in Italy has postponed a hearing on the law shielding Berlusconi from trial from its scheduled date on Tuesday until January to avoid a clash with the confidence vote.

Italian prosecutors opened an investigation on Friday into allegations by the centre-left opposition of attempts to buy votes in parliament ahead of the confidence vote.

"The first urgency in Italy is to send this government and this premier home," Antonio Di Pietro, leader of the small Italy of Values centre-left party was quoted as saying by the Italian news agency ANSA yesterday.

Di Pietro, whose complaint on Friday led to the opening of the investigation, said the situation "has reduced parliament, the temple of democracy, into an obscene market where MPs are prepared to sell their conscience and their dignity".