Italian premier Monti to quit after Berlusconi party withdraws key support - International

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Italian premier Monti to quit after Berlusconi party withdraws key support

Published on 09/12/2012 19:54

Prime minister Mario Monti has told Italy’s president he is resigning because he can no longer govern after Silvio Berlusconi’s party withdrew crucial support.

The move paves the way for early elections a year after the unelected economist helped pull the country back from the brink of financial disaster.

Only hours earlier, 76-year-old billionaire media baron Mr Berlusconi had announced he would run for a fourth term as premier, aiming for a dramatic comeback after he quit in disgrace last November.

The office of President Giorgio Napolitano, who met Mr Monti at the presidential palace for nearly two hours on Saturday, said the premier told the head of state that without the support of Mr Berlusconi’s party, “he cannot further carry out his mandate, and consequently made clear his intention to resign” once parliament passed a crucial budget Bill.

Political turmoil in Italy, mired in recession and trying to escape the eurozone sovereign debt crisis, could alarm financial markets, which, with Mr Monti at the helm, had steadily regained faith in the country’s ability to honour its debts. Standard & Poor’s rating agency, indicating on Friday that it could lower Italy’s rating if the recession endured well into 2013, cited “uncertainty” over whether the next Italian government could stay the tough course of austerity measures.

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Italian premier Monti to quit after Berlusconi party withdraws key support

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