Silvio Berlusconi, facing expulsion from parliament over a tax conviction and a revolt which split his centre-right party, said on Saturday he may no longer back Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta but would not be able to bring down the government.
The 77-year-old billionaire' s comments came after Friday's defection of a group led by Interior Minister Angelino Alfano, former secretary of his People of Freedom party, which defied Berlusconi and formed a group that has pledged to remain in Letta's coalition government.
Berlusconi said his impending expulsion from parliament, with the support of Letta's centre-left Democratic Party (PD), meant the left-right coalition created in the wake of February's deadlocked election could not continue.
"It's very difficult to think you can remain allies in parliament and above all seated at the same table in cabinet with someone who wants to kill your leader politically," Berlusconi said.
"At this moment, after the decision taken by 23 of our senators on October 2, we were not capable and we are not capable of bringing down the government," Berlusconi said.
He said the break with Alfano and the other rebels was down to personal differences rather than deep policy disagreements and he considered the group as potential allies in future.
After weeks of tension in the centre-right between those pressing for a break with Letta and those determined to support the government, the split underlines the instability threatening Italy as it grapples with its worst postwar recession.
Source: Reuters
