Report: Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi Poised To Resign

Alex AlvarezNov 8th, 2011, 3:19 pm

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi — known best, perhaps, for the various scandals and accusations that have colored his time in office — announced Tuesday that he will resign as soon as Italian parliament passes urgent reforms aimed at cutting the nation’s debt.

The BBC has reported that the announcement comes on the heels of his losing his majority in the lower house of parliament:

Correspondents say he faces two options:

* Handing his resignation to President Giorgio Napolitano
* Holding on to power, potentially prompting the opposition to call a vote of no confidence, to be held on Monday at the earliest

Reports say that Mr Berlusconi is going to see Mr Napolitano for discussions but not to resign.

According to Reuters, Belusconi’s colleague, Northern League head Umberto Bossi, has said the outgoing Prime Minister should be replaced by PDL party secretary Angelino Alfano. Until now, Berlusconi has been adamant about keeping his position amid long-existing calls for the scandal-plagued politician to step down.

Berlusconi’s scandals include allegations of corruption and sexual escapades with prostitutes. Oh, and there’s that time he referred to German chancellor Angela Merkel as an “un[bleep]able lard ass.”

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!