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Italy's Berlusconi overcomes parliamentary test
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Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (C) talks during a voting session at the lower chamber of the deputies in Rome June 21, 2011.
Credit: Reuters/Tony Gentile
By Deepa Babington
ROME |
Tue Jun 21, 2011 9:13am EDT
ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi overcame coalition infighting to win a vote of confidence on Tuesday, his first parliamentary test since suffering two stinging electoral losses.
Berlusconi's center-right government won the lower house vote on measures to boost growth by a margin of 24 votes, thanks to its Northern League ally that is reluctantly supporting him after defeat in referendums and local polls over the past month.
The motion passed with 317 deputies voting in favor and 293 against. Two lawmakers abstained.
The victory is likely to provide only brief respite for Berlusconi, who faces plummeting approval ratings, squabbling allies and a faltering economy.
Analysts warn Italy could pay a heavy price for failing to push through reforms and ratings agencies Standard & Poor's and Moody's both lowered their outlook on Italy over the past month, citing doubts about its ability to cut huge public debt.
"The window of opportunity for the government to set the pace of the policy agenda is closing," Barclays Capital analysts said in a note. "Markets are likely to demand higher spreads unless Italy switches gears soon."
But Berlusconi is battling to keep his coalition together, with an increasingly frustrated League demanding tax cuts and an end to Italy's costly mission in Libya.
Asked if Berlusconi would see out the end of his term in 2013, the League's mercurial leader Umberto Bossi bluntly said: "If he does the right things, yes. We've already given Berlusconi a timeline."
WANING FORTUNES
Berlusconi was expected to address the Senate later on Tuesday, outlining his government's program for the rest of its term, including concessions to placate the League.
A separate vote in the lower house to verify whether the government enjoys a majority may be called on Wednesday.
Berlusconi faces a bigger test in coming weeks when he must push through austerity measures totaling about 40 billion euros ($57 billion) to eliminate the budget deficit by 2014 -- a task made even more arduous by the League's demand to cut taxes.
In a reminder of the price of inaction, Moody's said on Friday it may cut the country's rating over concerns about its ability to bring down a public debt mountain equivalent to about 120 percent of gross domestic product.
The head of Fitch's sovereign ratings unit told Reuters on Tuesday the agency has no plans to change its rating or outlook on Italy at the moment, but warned that any tax cuts that are not matched by spending cuts would be worrying.
Well-known for bouncing back from the most difficult of situations, Berlusconi managed to wave off a series of sex scandals soon after sweeping to power in 2008.
But his fortunes began to wane after an acrimonious split with Gianfranco Fini, his old ally, last year that ended his guaranteed parliamentary majority.
A string of corruption cases, a faltering economy and a scandal involving an underage prostitute have taken their toll on the premier, whose support among voters now stands at a record low of 29 percent, according to pollsters IPR.
The government's sagging support even among its core northern power base was underscored by the loss of the Milan mayoral seat in local elections last month. That was followed by defeats in referendums on nuclear energy, water privatization and trial immunity for government ministers.
(Editing by Louise Ireland)
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