The Wall Street Journal-20080205-Politics - Economics- Berlusconi Moves Toward Return

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Politics & Economics: Berlusconi Moves Toward Return

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ROME -- Conservative political leader Silvio Berlusconi succeeded in blocking an attempt to form an interim government yesterday, making it likely Italians will soon head to the polls for an election that could bring him back to power.

After Prime Minister Romano Prodi's fragile government lost a confidence vote last month, the country's president, Giorgio Napolitano, had tried to broker the formation of a temporary government charged with overhauling the country's voting law before calling new elections. The man Mr. Napolitano had asked to head the interim government, Senate President Franco Marini, conceded yesterday that he couldn't find enough support in Parliament.

The defeat marks a victory for Mr. Berlusconi, who had been demanding immediate elections even before Mr. Prodi's government officially fell. Though he is still technically in the opposition, Mr. Berlusconi has been calling the shots since Mr. Prodi's governing coalition began to disintegrate three weeks ago.

Mr. Napolitano, who as president acts as a sort of nonpartisan referee in Italian politics, has few other options than to cede to Mr. Berlusconi's demand. Mr. Napolitano had argued, unsuccessfully, that the current voting law needed to be rewritten before Italians go to the polls. The law, passed by Mr. Berlusconi's government in 2005, is blamed for creating political instability by allowing parties with less than 2% of the vote to gain representation in Parliament.

Mr. Berlusconi has been eager to return to power since he narrowly lost to Mr. Prodi in 2006. This will be his fifth campaign for the prime minister's office, having first been elected in 1994, when his government lasted only seven months.

Opinion polls give him a clear advantage over his likely opponent, Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni.

Mr. Prodi's government lasted 20 months in office, and was never able to make headway on one of its main objectives: passing a law to regulate the many conflicts of interest in Italian politics. Chief among those is Mr. Berlusconi's dual role as media mogul and leading politician. He still controls three television stations and the country's largest publishing house.