Italian President May Dissolve Parliment
By Bloomberg News | February 5, 2008
Italian opposition leader Silvio Berlusconi refused to support an interim government, making it probable that President Giorgio Napolitano will dissolve parliament and call elections.
"The best thing would be to vote immediately," Mr. Berlusconi said yesterday in Rome after meeting with the president of the Senate, Franco Marini, who was asked to try to form a government to pass a new voting law before a national election. "We hope the head of state will call elections."
Mr. Berlusconi, 71, is a former prime minister, and leader of Forza Italia, the country's largest political party, and his support is key to any interim government. Mr. Marini concluded the consultations yesterday and said he will report back to Napolitano tonight.
