Petar Pismestrovic, «Kleine Zeitung»
Silvio Berlusconi sobreviveu a tudo até agora: acusações de corrupção e escândalos sexuais. Mas há uma nova crise na vida do primeiro-ministro italiano da qual pode não sobreviver, politicamente falando. O Sr. Berlusconi enfrenta a revolta do seu antigo aliado de coligação e esta pode representar o fim do seu governo, como se escreve na Der Spiegel:
The scene last Wednesday evening in Italy’s Chamber of Deputies showed what it looks like when governments collapse or almost collapse in Italy: The members of parliament jumped up from their red leather chairs, pointed their fingers at each other, shouted, forged last-minute alliances or argued with each other. A Berlusconi supporter even hit a defector from the Fini faction in the face with his campaign documents.
The factions are hopelessly at odds, as Italy’s government experiences one of its worst crises yet. What happened in the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Italy’s parliament, is only a taste of what could cripple the country this fall. Partisan bickering, a stalemate, early elections — anything seems possible.
The crisis was triggered by the ejection of Gianfranco Fini, the president of the Chamber of Deputies, from Berlusconi’s People of Freedom party (PdL). Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was behind Fini’s ejection at the end of July. It was the end of a 16-year friendship between the two men. Berlusconi had decided that Fini was unacceptable and “incompatible” with his party.
While the rift between Fini and Berlusconi is clear, the situation in the parliament no longer is. So far, 33 members of the lower house of parliament and 10 senators have followed Fini into his hastily formed parliamentary group, Future and Freedom for Italy (FLI). The prime minister is now six votes shy of a majority. […]