UBS job cuts to start late '24 – CEO    Russian court seizes $13m from JPMorgan, Commerzbank    Germany's March '24 manufacturing orders dip 0.4%    EGP stable against USD in Tuesday early trade    Amazon to invest $8.88b into Singapore cloud infrastructure    Egypt leads MENA surge as Bitget Wallet sees 300% growth    Health Ministry on high alert during Easter celebrations    Ismailia governorate receives EGP 6.5bn in public investments    Egypt's Communications Ministry, Xceed partner on AI call centre tool    Egypt warns of Israeli military operation in Rafah    US academic groups decry police force in campus protest crackdowns    US Military Official Discusses Gaza Aid Challenges: Why Airdrops Aren't Enough    US Embassy in Cairo announces Egyptian-American musical fusion tour    Chubb prepares $350M payout for state of Maryland over bridge collapse    Egypt, France emphasize ceasefire in Gaza, two-state solution    Japanese Ambassador presents Certificate of Appreciation to renowned Opera singer Reda El-Wakil    Health Minister, Johnson & Johnson explore collaborative opportunities at Qatar Goals 2024    Sweilam highlights Egypt's water needs, cooperation efforts during Baghdad Conference    AstraZeneca injects $50m in Egypt over four years    Egypt, AstraZeneca sign liver cancer MoU    Swiss freeze on Russian assets dwindles to $6.36b in '23    Amir Karara reflects on 'Beit Al-Rifai' success, aspires for future collaborations    Climate change risks 70% of global workforce – ILO    Prime Minister Madbouly reviews cooperation with South Sudan    Egypt retains top spot in CFA's MENA Research Challenge    Egyptian public, private sectors off on Apr 25 marking Sinai Liberation    Debt swaps could unlock $100b for climate action    President Al-Sisi embarks on new term with pledge for prosperity, democratic evolution    Amal Al Ghad Magazine congratulates President Sisi on new office term    Egyptian, Japanese Judo communities celebrate new coach at Tokyo's Embassy in Cairo    Uppingham Cairo and Rafa Nadal Academy Unite to Elevate Sports Education in Egypt with the Introduction of the "Rafa Nadal Tennis Program"    Financial literacy becomes extremely important – EGX official    Euro area annual inflation up to 2.9% – Eurostat    BYD، Brazil's Sigma Lithium JV likely    UNESCO celebrates World Arabic Language Day    Motaz Azaiza mural in Manchester tribute to Palestinian journalists    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Italy's Berlusconi calls for broad government or early vote
Published in Ahram Online on 05 - 04 - 2013

Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, buoyed by new opinion polls showing a lead for his centre-right coalition, said on Friday Italy must return to the polls quickly unless the centre left agrees to govern with him.
Italy has been gridlocked since an inconclusive February election gave no bloc enough votes to govern, forcing outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti to stay on as a caretaker until the impasse can be broken.
"It's crucial to form a strong and stable government immediately," Berlusconi said in a tweet. He added that if the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) continues to reject his call for a broad coalition, "we must return to the polls."
The 76-year-old media magnate, who was widely written off after he was forced from power in 2011 by a mounting debt crisis, is once more a key player on Italy's political scene and polls suggest he might well come out on top in any new election.
February's vote produced three main blocs in parliament - the centre left headed by PD leader Pier Luigi Bersani, Berlusconi's centre right and Beppe Grillo's anti-establishment 5-Star Movement.
Bersani, who won control of the lower house but fell short of the Senate majority that would allow him to govern, rules out a "grand coalition" with Berlusconi, while Grillo refuses a pact with parties he blames for Italy's social and economic crisis.
A poll published on Friday by the SWG agency gave Berlusconi's centre-right alliance 31.4 percent of the vote, up 2.2 points since the election and now 2.1 points ahead of the centre left.
Grillo's 5-Star Movement was on 25.4 percent, almost stable since the election despite signs of internal division and widespread media criticism of the former comic's refusal to co-operate with the centre left to allow a government to be formed.
Berlusconi is following a two-pronged strategy. While he calls for the centre left to be "responsible" by forming a broad coalition with him, he also appears to have already launched a new election campaign.
Last month his followers packed Piazza del Popolo, one of Rome's most famous squares, in a rally at which he promised to "win big" in a new election, and he has scheduled another rally in the southern city of Bari on April 13.


Clic here to read the story from its source.