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Edition: U.S. Article Comments (0) Email Print Reprints Full Focus Best of the week Our top pictures from the past week. Full Article Read Big German protests pressure Merkel before CDU meet 13 Nov 2010 Pacquiao's record title haul lifts Filipino spirits 3:36am EST Auction of Madoff effects raises $2 million 13 Nov 2010 Analysis: Obama's Asia frustrations raise protectionist risks 2:44am EST Boxing-Pacquiao beats Margarito to land super welterweight title 12:53am EST Discussed 318 Pilots and passengers rail at new airport patdowns 97 Analysis: German tempers fray as U.S. policy gulf widens 76 GLOBAL ECONOMY-Obama returns fire after China slams Fed’s move Watched Japanese Tourism Bra Wed, Nov 10 2010 Robot actress steals the show Thu, Nov 11 2010 Bejeweled bra exposed in NY Thu, Oct 21 2010 Italy's Berlusconi, rival ready for final showdown Tweet This Share on LinkedIn Share on Facebook By Silvia Aloisi ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and his fiercest rival Gianfranco Fini are girding for a final showdown which political analysts say is likely to lead to a government collapse in a matter of weeks. Fini,... Related News Berlusconi to seek confidence vote after budget Sat, Nov 13 2010 Rivals fail to break Italy's political deadlock Thu, Nov 11 2010 UPDATE 1-Italy rivals fail to break political deadlock Thu, Nov 11 2010 Italy rivals meet to decide Berlusconi govt fate Thu, Nov 11 2010 UPDATE 2-Italy minister faces no-confidence vote over Pompeii Wed, Nov 10 2010 Related Topics World » Italy » Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (R) and Italy's lower house speaker Gianfranco Fini talk as they attend the celebration of the Italian Army's anniversary in Rome November 4, 2010. Credit: Reuters/Max Rossi By Silvia Aloisi ROME | Sun Nov 14, 2010 9:29am EST ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and his fiercest rival Gianfranco Fini are girding for a final showdown which political analysts say is likely to lead to a government collapse in a matter of weeks. Fini, the once-loyal lower house speaker who bitterly split with Berlusconi, is expected to withdraw a minister, a deputy minister and two undersecretaries from the government on Monday. While that will not in itself sink the government, it will be another nail in the coffin for Berlusconi, further escalating a political crisis that reached boiling point in the last week. Seeking to regain the political initiative, Berlusconi announced late on Saturday that he would call a do-or-die confidence vote in both chambers of parliament after the 2011 budget is passed -- probably around mid-December. While he still enjoys a narrow majority in the Senate, he can no longer count on one in the lower house after Fini's defection. "Berlusconi can limp along for a month or so, but the balance of power is no longer in his favor," said Maurizio Pessato, head of polling firm SWG. "There has been a shift in public opinion, and with the economic crisis he has also lost the backing of powerful business lobbies. This time, it looks like the tide is turning against him." A defeat in parliament would force him to resign, opening up several scenarios, including an early election next year. Berlusconi's last remaining coalition ally, the Northern League, says he could try to form another government. But Fini has rejected that option, saying Berlusconi must step down to pave the way for a new center-right coalition. Faced with a full-blown political crisis, President Giorgio Napolitano could appoint an interim government to run business until new elections, like the 1995 administration headed by former Finance Minister Lamberto Dini that followed the collapse of Berlusconi's first government. Berlusconi says that if Fini brings him down the only alternative is snap polls in early 2011, two years ahead of schedule. His gamble is that voters will return him to office. "Don't read the newspapers. Voters still exist and 60 percent of them are with me," Berlusconi told a rally on Sunday. Opinion polls don't back him up. A survey of voters' intentions in Corriere della Sera daily gave a coalition between Berlusconi's People of Freedom (PDL) party and the Nothern League only a marginal lead over the center-left opposition. Fini's new movement stood at around 8 percent with the centrist UDC party at 5.8 percent -- making a "Third Way" bloc potentially determinant for any new majority. 1 2 Next World Italy Add a Comment *We welcome comments that advance the story directly or with relevant tangential information. We try to block comments that use offensive language or appear to be spam and review comments frequently to ensure they meet our standards. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. © Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters Editorial Editions: Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom United States Reuters Contact Us Advertise With Us Help Journalism Handbook Archive Site Index Video Index Reader Feedback Mobile Newsletters RSS Podcasts Widgets Your View Analyst Research Thomson Reuters Copyright Disclaimer Privacy Professional Products Professional Products Support Financial Products About Thomson Reuters Careers Online Products Acquisitions Monthly Buyouts Venture Capital Journal International Financing Review Project Finance International PEhub.com PE Week FindLaw Reuters on Facebook Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

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