Berlusconi: Ousting me would be “political folly”

The problem with elections, a wise man once said, is that the politicians always win. So it must seem in Italy, which on Tuesday faces a dramatic no-confidence vote in Silvio Berlusconi, the country’s clownish prime minister (last seen bailing a 17-year-old belly dancer out of jail under dubious circumstances and defending his actions by ...

The problem with elections, a wise man once said, is that the politicians always win.

The problem with elections, a wise man once said, is that the politicians always win.

So it must seem in Italy, which on Tuesday faces a dramatic no-confidence vote in Silvio Berlusconi, the country’s clownish prime minister (last seen bailing a 17-year-old belly dancer out of jail under dubious circumstances and defending his actions by saying at least I’m not gay) but appears to have no viable alternative leader waiting in the wings.

Heading into Tuesday’s vote, Berlusconi has been shoring up — some would say buying — support in the Chamber of Deputies, Italy’s lower house, while making the public case that political turmoil would exacerbate the country’s debt crisis. On Monday, he warned that ousting him would be "political folly" and a blow to Italy’s financial stability.

It’s a pretty astonishing argument: I’ve screwed up the economy so badly that now would be dangerous to oust me. Still, there’s some truth to it: Between World War II and 1994, when Berlusconi entered the scene, Italy  averaged at least one government per year. It’s quite amazing that Italy is even a developed country, given its dysfunctional politics.

Nobody seems to know whether Berlusconi has the votes, just as nobody seems to know who might replace him. James Walston runs down some Byzantine scenarios for Berlusconi successors here, ranging from Gianni Letta, a close Berlusconi associate, to Giulio Tremonti, the economics and finance minister, to Pierlugi Bersani, the opposition Democratic Party leader who staged a massive anti-Berlusconi rally in Rome Saturday. And of course, Silvio just might win.

Tag: Europe

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