After the first rumors yesterday that his resignation was "imminent", followed by denial, and then followed by a parliamentary vote that proved he no longer has an absolute majority, Berlusconi final admits it's over for him and will resign after the next vote on the "Law for Stability" as outlined in his promise to the EU.
After meeting with President Giorgio Napolitano, Berlusconi issued the following statement:
The President of the Council [i.e. Premier] has demonstrated to the Head of State [President Giorgio Napolitano] his acknowledgement of the implications of the result of today's vote in Parliament; he has at the same time expressed great worry for the urgent necessity of providing timely reponses to our European partners who await them with the approval of the Law for Stability, properly amended in light of the recent contribution of observations and proposals by the European Commission...Once this obligation has been fulfilled, the Presidente del Consiglio will submit his mandate to the Head of State, who will proceed to consultations [with the majority and opposition] giving the greatest attention to the positions and proposals of every political force, both those of the majority which resulted from the 2008 elections as well as those of the opposition. [My translation]
Il Presidente del Consiglio ha manifestato al Capo dello Stato la sua consapevolezza delle implicazioni del risultato del voto odierno alla Camera; egli ha nello stesso tempo espresso viva preoccupazione per l'urgente necessità di dare puntuali risposte alle attese dei partner europei con l'approvazione della Legge di Stabilità, opportunamente emendata alla luce del più recente contributo di osservazioni e proposte della Commissione europea". È quanto si legge nella nota diffusa dal Quirinale dopo l'incontro tra il capo dello Stato Giorgio Napolitano e il premier Silvio Berlusconi. "Una volta compiuto tale adempimento, il Presidente del Consiglio rimetterà il suo mandato al Capo dello Stato, che procederà alle consultazioni di rito dando la massima attenzione alle posizioni e proposte di ogni forza politica, di quelle della maggioranza risultata dalle elezioni del 2008 come di quelle di opposizione", conclude la nota.
Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa further declared that this would all take place within 20 days. It remains to be seen whether or not elections will be called immediately, or whether a technical government will be put in place. My guess is the latter, led by someone "supra partes" in order to guarantee the fulfillment of promises made to the EU Commission last week.
I will celebrate Berlusconi leaving only after he is GONE.