Crisis talks to begin in ItalyItalian President Giorgio Napolitano is to hold crisis talks with political leaders following the resignation of Prime Minister Romano Prodi.
Mr Prodi stepped down after being defeated in a vote of confidence in the upper house of parliament, the Senate.
The president is said to favour an interim government to push through much-needed electoral reforms.
But opposition leader Silvio Berlusconi is calling for snap elections, which would favour his centre-right party.
Change needed
Mr Napolitano is to consult party leaders, whips and leaders of the lower and upper houses of parliament on Friday about the next move for Italian politics.
We will say what we want to do in the first 100 days of our government
Silvio Berlusconi
The BBC's Christian Fraser says there is widespread agreement among several senior senators - even among Mr Prodi's opponents - that the country needs new electoral laws.
Under the current system rushed in by Mr Berlusconi during his time as prime minister, smaller parties with only a handful of seats hold the balance of power in parliament.
This is what caused the current crisis. The loss of the small, centrist Udeur party's three seats in the upper house left Mr Prodi without a majority and requiring the support of several unelected life senators.
In the Senate vote, Mr Prodi's government fell four votes short of the 160 it needed to survive, with 161 senators voting against and one abstention.
En el fondo: la reforma electoral. Berlusconi modificó la ley electoral permitiendo que partidos muy pequeños pudieran convertirse en la clave del sistema. Tanto la sociedad como los partidos políticos están de acuerdo en que debe modificarse pero no saben si habrá el consenso necesario:
President Giorgio Napolitano has said he does not want to hold another national election until Parliament reforms Italy's electoral system, which is widely blamed for contributing to the country's chronic political instability.Por supuesto, los fans de Berlusconi no quieren ni oir hablar de esperar a nada y quieren las elecciones ya:
But he may be forced to proceed to a vote quickly if he determines there is no consensus among political leaders to create an interim government to carry out the reforms before heading to elections some three years ahead of time.
L'Unione ha finalmente pagato per il suo peccato originale, l'essere una coalizione che è nata non per un progetto positivo di governo ma unicamente contro unoLa Unión ha finalmente pagado por su pecado original: ser una coalición que nació no con un proyecto positivo de gobierno si no sólo contra uno...
Esta parece ser la razón que se da de forma más extendida por la blogosfera:
Credere che l’odio per berlusconi bastasse per tenere insieme un tale coacervo era pia illusione e vi è stato detto ma non avete voluto crederci.Creer que el odio por Berlusconi iba a bastar para mantener unido tal acerbo era un pía ilusión y esto se les había dicho pero no lo habían querido creer.
Posts anteriores:
Prodi pierde un crucial voto en el Senado y se espera que dimita.
Otros celebran la última noche de los muertos vivientes... ;)