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| Italy's PM under pressure to quit | Italy's PM under pressure to quit |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi is due to meet President Giorgio Napolitano after coming under increasing pressure to step down. | |
| Mr Prodi won a confidence vote in the lower house on Wednesday, but is expected to lose a Senate vote. | |
| A small party in Mr Prodi's coalition has deserted him, handing his Senate majority to the opposition. | |
| Mr Prodi has been urged to quit and President Napolitano is reported to have asked him to avoid a second vote. | |
| The BBC's Christian Fraser in Rome says there is speculation Mr Prodi will tender his resignation to President Napolitano after a cabinet meeting on Thursday morning. | |
| Berlusconi's boon? | Berlusconi's boon? |
| The crisis was sparked by the withdrawal on Monday of the centrist Udeur party - with its three seats - from Mr Prodi's ruling coalition, costing the prime minister his Senate advantage of two. | The crisis was sparked by the withdrawal on Monday of the centrist Udeur party - with its three seats - from Mr Prodi's ruling coalition, costing the prime minister his Senate advantage of two. |
| The party pulled out, citing a lack of support for its leader, the former Justice Minister Clemente Mastella, who resigned after being named in a corruption probe. He maintains that he is innocent. | The party pulled out, citing a lack of support for its leader, the former Justice Minister Clemente Mastella, who resigned after being named in a corruption probe. He maintains that he is innocent. |
| Polls suggest a snap election could see a Silvio Berlusconi comeback | Polls suggest a snap election could see a Silvio Berlusconi comeback |
| The embattled 68-year-old premier won Wednesday's Chamber of Deputies vote by 326 votes to 275. | The embattled 68-year-old premier won Wednesday's Chamber of Deputies vote by 326 votes to 275. |
| But his hopes of mustering enough support to carry the Senate and save his 20-month-old centre-left coalition look increasingly forlorn, analysts say. | But his hopes of mustering enough support to carry the Senate and save his 20-month-old centre-left coalition look increasingly forlorn, analysts say. |
| Silvio Berlusconi, a conservative former prime minister who was defeated by Mr Prodi in 2006 elections, wants to see the premier defeated in the Senate. | |
| This would trigger calls for snap elections, which polls suggest Mr Berlusconi's centre-right Forza Italia party could win comfortably, our correspondent says. | This would trigger calls for snap elections, which polls suggest Mr Berlusconi's centre-right Forza Italia party could win comfortably, our correspondent says. |
| If Mr Prodi does resign, the president will decide the way forward for the political process. | If Mr Prodi does resign, the president will decide the way forward for the political process. |
| He would have to consult party leaders but analysts say he is likely to try to resist pressure for early elections in preference of a new caretaker government which could push forward badly-needed electoral reforms. | He would have to consult party leaders but analysts say he is likely to try to resist pressure for early elections in preference of a new caretaker government which could push forward badly-needed electoral reforms. |