Italy will be looking to form its 62nd (!) government since the end of World War II after Prime Minister Romano Prodi resigned after a no-confidence vote in the Senate over keeping troops in Afghanistan, the Associated Press reports:
Prime Minister Romano Prodi resigned today, just nine months after winning the closest election in Italy's modern history, when his centre-left coalition suffered a Senate defeat on foreign policy.
Prodi's last spell in power almost a decade ago was also cut short by far-left coalition allies. This time they rebelled over keeping Italian troops in Afghanistan and allowing the expansion of a U.S. military base in Italy.President Giorgio Napolitano accepted Prodi's resignation but Prodi may stay in power.
Napolitano, who will consult politicians on Thursday, could stop short of calling an election and ask for a parliamentary confidence vote in Prodi. He could also ask another leader to form a governing coalition.
Read the whole thing at the link above. Prodi's coalition is publicly reaffirming their devotion, but the stark differences between the center-left and far left parties won't go away any time soon.
Of course, instability has been a hallmark of postwar Italian democracy.
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