- Italy's former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi on Wednesday was stripped of his seat in parliament for immediate effect of a Senate-ejection vote over his conviction for tax fraud, but he pledged to remain in politics.
Senate Speaker Pietro Grasso declared the media tycoon ineligible for a seat after a seven-hour heated debate with rival senators nearly coming to blows.
Paola Taverna of the anti-establishment Five-Star Movement (M5S), which backed the ejection along with Prime Minister Enrico Letta's center-left Democratic Party (PD), called Berlusconi a "habitual offender."
"Your only aim is to eliminate him," shouted Manuela Repetti of Berlusconi's revived center-right Forza Italia (FI) party.
The vote marked the end of a process which established that Berlusconi cannot sit in parliament nor hold a task in government for six years under an anti-corruption law adopted in 2012 before Italy's highest court upheld a guilty verdict against him in August.
Berlusconi was given a four-year jail term, commuted to a year because of an amnesty, for tax fraud in buying film rights for his television network. It was the first definitive conviction in two decades of his legal battles, which still continue as he is appealing other prison sentences.
Yet, due to his advanced age, the 77-year-old will not go to jail and has requested to serve the year by doing social service rather than under house arrest. A Milan court is set to start consultation in April to assign him a place to serve the term.
Berlusconi, who has been a big protagonist of Italy's politics for some 20 years, promised however that his "fight for the good of Italy" will continue.
"We must stay on the field, we must not despair if the leader of the center-right is not a senator anymore," he told hundreds of supporters gathered outside his Rome residence shortly before the start of voting.
He said he would lead FI, that has considerable electoral support, outside parliament.
"No political leader has suffered a persecution such as I have lived through," added Berlusconi, who has always claimed to be the victim of left-wing magistrates.
Local observers confirmed that the three-time premier still has the power to continue to do politics, and they considered unlikely the possibility that he is arrested over other criminal charges as he has lost his parliamentarian immunity from prosecution.
"Though in a day of defeat, Berlusconi made the wise choice to combine his anger with the enthusiasm of his supporters, and showed his resolution to remain on stage," said Paolo Mieli, a senior political commentator and former head editor of national newspaper Corriere della Sera.
Giulio Anselmi, president of ANSA news agency, stressed that "Berlusconi is no longer a senator but is still leader of the center-right."
Antonio Padellaro, head editor of national newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano, agreed that though Berlusconi was assumed to be dead politically many times in the past, "he has always returned."
The Senate vote came a day after FI announced its break with the left-right government and sided with the opposition to embrace a position of clash with the fragile coalition.
Led by Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Angelino Alfano, a new party made up of moderates splitting from FI was against Berlusconi being ejected but disagreed at withdrawing support from the government. The new party holds that recession-mired Italy cannot afford more political instability.
Source: Xinhua
