Berlusconi loses parliamentary majority as coalition partners call on him to resign

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• Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi has lost his parliamentary majority in the [url=http://www.facepunch.com/threads/1138538]makeshift confidence vote[/url] that comes as markets and his former allies have turned on him.
• Berlusconi actually won the vote as the opposition decided to abstain - 308 voted for, while 321 did not vote. This leaves him 8 votes short of a majority and means he is unlikely to be able to continue to govern.
• The Northern League party, which forms a vital 60-seat part of Berlusconi's coalition, has turned against him, and the markets rose on the possibility of Berlusconi being removed.

[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15641610[/url]

[quote=BBC News][b]Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi is facing growing calls for his resignation, after apparently losing his majority in the lower house of parliament.[/b]

Mr Berlusconi won a vote on the budget, but received less than half the votes in the chamber.

After the vote, opposition leader Pierluigi Bersani urged him to step down. Allies including the Northern League had already said he should quit.

Money markets no longer believe he can deal with the country's debt crisis.

Mr Berlusconi has so far refused to resign, but said he would make a decision on his future after the vote. He is now consulting with senior ministers.

While Italy's deficit is relatively low, investors are concerned that the combination of Italy's low growth rate and 1.9tn euro (£1.63tn; $2.6tn) debt could make it the next country to fall in the eurozone debt crisis.

[b]'Real risk'[/b]

Mr Berlusconi has always maintained that he has enough support to continue to govern.

A total of 308 MPs voted for the budget, far below the 316 needed for an absolute majority.

None voted against and 321 did not vote.

Many from the PM's own coalition refused to support him, joining the opposition in not voting.

"The government no longer has a majority in this chamber," Mr Bersani said immediately after the vote.

"I ask you, Mr Prime Minister, with all my strength, to finally take account of the situation... and resign.

"We all know that Italy is running the real risk in the days ahead of not having access to financial markets."[/quote]

[editline]8th November 2011[/editline]

[url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15637486]BBC live coverage of the "Italy crisis"[/url] might be UK only though