ROME (Reuters) – On Saturday April 20, the leaders of Italy’s two biggest political forces climbed the Quirinal, highest of Rome’s seven ancient hills, and begged President Giorgio Napolitano to stay for a second term.

Pier Luigi Bersani and Silvio Berlusconi were followed into the presidential palace by outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti, Northern League boss Roberto Maroni and finally the governors of Italy’s regions, in scenes that resembled schoolboys visiting the headmaster’s office.

ROME, May 7 (Reuters) – On Saturday April 20, the leaders of
Italy’s two biggest political forces climbed the Quirinal,
highest of Rome’s seven ancient hills, and begged President
Giorgio Napolitano to stay for a second term.

Pier Luigi Bersani and Silvio Berlusconi were followed into
the presidential palace by outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti,
Northern League boss Roberto Maroni and finally the governors of
Italy’s regions, in scenes that resembled schoolboys visiting
the headmaster’s office.

ROME (Reuters) – Five months ago, Silvio Berlusconi was in steep decline and his party was in shambles. His center-left enemies looked triumphant and sat on a 15-point opinion poll lead.

Today that situation has turned 180 degrees. The center-left is devastated by divisions and the 76-year-old media tycoon has an opinion poll lead ranging from five to eight points.

ROME (Reuters) – Five months ago, Silvio Berlusconi was in steep decline and his party was in shambles. His centre-left enemies looked triumphant and sat on a 15-point opinion poll lead.

Today that situation has turned 180 degrees. The centre-left is devastated by divisions and the 76-year-old media tycoon has an opinion poll lead ranging from five to eight points.

ROME (Reuters) – Months of paralysing political deadlock seem close to an end in Italy with a new government possible by early next week, but there are many questions over how long the stability can last.

Centre-left deputy leader Enrico Letta, 46, on Wednesday accepted a mandate from President Giorgio Napolitano to form a broad-based coalition government, which is expected to be a mix of technocrats and politicians.

ROME (Reuters) – Months of paralyzing political deadlock seem close to an end in Italy with a new government possible by early next week, but there are many questions over how long the stability can last.

Center-left deputy leader Enrico Letta, 46, on Wednesday accepted a mandate from President Giorgio Napolitano to form a broad-based coalition government, which is expected to be a mix of technocrats and politicians.

ROME, April 24 (Reuters) – Italian President Giorgio
Napolitano on Wednesday asked centre-left deputy leader Enrico
Letta to form a new government, signalling the end of a damaging
two-month vacuum since elections in the euro zone’s third
largest economy in January.

The prime minister designate is expected to quickly select a
group of ministers, mixed between politicians and technocrats,
under the guidance of Napolitano, whose own unprecedented
re-election last weekend opened the way for an end to the
crisis.

ROME, April 24 (Reuters) – Italian President Giorgio
Napolitano on Wednesday asked centre-left deputy leader Enrico
Letta to form a new government, signalling the end of a damaging
two-month vacuum since elections in the euro zone’s third
largest economy in January.

The prime minister designate is expected to quickly select a
group of ministers, mixed between politicians and technocrats,
under the guidance of Napolitano, whose own unprecedented
re-election last weekend opened the way for an end to the
crisis.

ROME (Reuters) – Months of paralyzing political deadlock seem close to an end in Italy with a new government possible within the week, but there are still questions over whether the stability can last.

President Giorgio Napolitano has reluctantly been re-elected for an unprecedented second term after traditional politicians begged him to stay on and deal with one of the most turbulent moments in recent Italian political history.

ROME (Reuters) – Former Prime Minister Romano Prodi withdrew from the race for the Italian presidency on Friday, deepening the chaos in the center-left after party rebels helped his old enemy Silvio Berlusconi scupper his candidacy.

The collapse of efforts by the center-left to secure the presidency for Prodi underlines the deep fractures running through politics in a country still seeking a government nearly two months after February’s inconclusive general election.