Rome, November 14: Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi says if the parliament approves his 2011 budget plans, he will put his government to the test by seeking a vote of confidence.
“The government intends to verify if it still enjoys the backing of the Senate, and immediately afterward, that of the Chamber of Deputies,” Berlusconi wrote in a letter to the presidents of the Senate and the lower Chamber on Saturday.
The Italian premier will have to resign if he loses a confidence vote. Italian President Giorgio Napolitano can call for snap elections if Berlusconi fails to assemble a new government.
So far, no date has been set for the confidence vote. Berlusconi insists that he will not go for the vote unless the Italian parliament passes his budget cut plans, the Associated Press reported.
Pundits suggest that since lawmakers are wary of the voters’ angry response in the next elections, it is not clear when the budget will be approved.
Earlier this week, Berlusconi’s government lost a vote over a bill on immigration policy after one of his allies, the Future and Freedom for Italy (FLI) party led by Gianfranco Fini, voted against the government.
At an FLI meeting last Sunday, Fini had called for Berlusconi’s resignation after the Italian leader once again became entangled in sex scandal allegations.
After Fini’s comments, Berlusconi remained defiant and vowed that he would not step down and was determined to stay in power through the full legislative period ending in 2013.
Prosecutors say that while they have opened a dossier on the claim that Berlusconi solicited sex from a minor, he is not under official investigation.
Last year, high-end escort Patrizia D’Addario claimed that she had spent a night with the incumbent Italian prime minister, but the conservative Italian leader said he has never paid anyone for sex.
The new scandal comes as Berlusconi’s popularity ratings have dropped below 40 percent due to his government’s austerity package, infighting, and corruption scandals.
——–Agencies