Defiant Berlusconi pledges to complete his term
Source: Agencies |
February 17, 2011, Thursday
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A DEFIANT Silvio Berlusconi vowed yesterday to see out his term as Italian Prime Minister until 2013, saying he was unworried by an order to stand trial for abuse of power and paying for sex with an underage girl.
"For love of country I won't talk about it. Suffice it to say that I am not worried in the least," Berlusconi said yesterday in his first public comments since a judge ordered him to stand trial this April over the so-called "Ruby affair."
Berlusconi said he expected to broaden his parliamentary majority soon and confidently dismissed talk of an early election in the wake of the scandal. The center-right coalition was "as cohesive as ever" and would see out its term until scheduled elections in 2013, he said.
However, Italy's leading commentators said that ultimately Berlusconi could not stem the tide heading toward early elections. "Objectively speaking, Berlusconi is worn down and gasping for breath," wrote Massimo Franco, a political commentator for the Corriere della Sera newspaper.
Berlusconi's aides have blasted the trial order as a calculated move by leftist magistrates to destroy his political career.
But commentators say the momentum against him seems to be building. The trial date was set two days after hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated throughout the country demanding his immediate resignation.
"Berlusconi is now in a defensive position and (the court order) breathes electoral hope into an opposition that smells a precious opportunity to beat him," Franco said.
Another commentator, Stefano Folli of the economic daily Il Sole 24 Ore, said: "It's obvious that the legislature is over and parliament is heading towards a paralysis."
The timing of any early elections depends on how long Berlusconi's increasingly fragile coalition can stick together.
The sex scandal has riveted Italy and, commentators say, caused untold damage to the country's image abroad. Much will depend on the position of the Northern League, Berlusconi's main coalition partner, and its mercurial leader Umberto Bossi.
"For love of country I won't talk about it. Suffice it to say that I am not worried in the least," Berlusconi said yesterday in his first public comments since a judge ordered him to stand trial this April over the so-called "Ruby affair."
Berlusconi said he expected to broaden his parliamentary majority soon and confidently dismissed talk of an early election in the wake of the scandal. The center-right coalition was "as cohesive as ever" and would see out its term until scheduled elections in 2013, he said.
However, Italy's leading commentators said that ultimately Berlusconi could not stem the tide heading toward early elections. "Objectively speaking, Berlusconi is worn down and gasping for breath," wrote Massimo Franco, a political commentator for the Corriere della Sera newspaper.
Berlusconi's aides have blasted the trial order as a calculated move by leftist magistrates to destroy his political career.
But commentators say the momentum against him seems to be building. The trial date was set two days after hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated throughout the country demanding his immediate resignation.
"Berlusconi is now in a defensive position and (the court order) breathes electoral hope into an opposition that smells a precious opportunity to beat him," Franco said.
Another commentator, Stefano Folli of the economic daily Il Sole 24 Ore, said: "It's obvious that the legislature is over and parliament is heading towards a paralysis."
The timing of any early elections depends on how long Berlusconi's increasingly fragile coalition can stick together.
The sex scandal has riveted Italy and, commentators say, caused untold damage to the country's image abroad. Much will depend on the position of the Northern League, Berlusconi's main coalition partner, and its mercurial leader Umberto Bossi.
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