Berlusconi pressured to resign by former loyalists

Greece’s prime minister isn’t the only one in trouble. Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is facing pressure to resign Thursday, as his government crumbles and Italy is still in need of economic reform, Reuters reported.

Berlusconi is up against former parliamentary loyalists calling for a new government. The rebel deputies, one of whom used to be amongst Berlusconi’s closest supporters, have written to him calling for a “new political phase and a new government,” Reuters reported. The letter was published in Italy’s daily newspaper Corriere della Sera.

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Italy is in a similar boat to Greece; it has felt the weight of the euro zone’s problems and felt the euro crush its economy. Italy’s borrowing costs continue to increase and the country is gets closer to the brink of full-scale emergency. Berlusconi will be presenting an amendment, to a spending bill that was passed last month, next week and seek a confidence vote on the bill, Bloomberg BusinessWeek reported.

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Berlusconi isn’t only being asked to quit by his former loyalists, the center-left Democratic Party called for him to step down Tuesday as well.

"We think that next week will be a week in parliament where we try to force the situation if Berlusconi does not resign before," Enrico Letta, deputy general secretary of the party, told Reuters reported.

The PD is the largest opposition group in parliament and continuously calls for Berlusconi to quit, Reuters reported. Due to the economic crisis, they believe they have a shot at beating him.

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