Future of Italy’s coalition hangs in the balance as Berlusconi plays the victim

Add captionFormer Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi visited the Senate in Rome last month. He said this week that the decision was his belief that the judiciary was out of control, claiming he was the victim of a political witch hunt left judges confirmed. Photo: Gregorio Borgia / AP

After the tsunami that Italian politics Thursday night, when former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was found guilty of tax evasion through its television company Mediaset, the future of Enrico Letta coalition government under the leadership of affected PD PDL age of 100 days is now attached to a thread.
This at least seems to be the obvious conclusion to be drawn from a stormy day after yesterday, marked by warlike noises from Berlusconi's PDL party, by the relative silence of the center-left TP and Letta tones are soothing.
At a meeting with MPs last night PDL Berlusconi returned to play in the reform of the judicial system, suggesting that even if it could be adopted immediately, it should be dissolved parliament and called for early elections.
In response, Angelino Alfano, the interior minister in the government Letta and PDL party secretary, he and other ministers PDL were willing to give away. In addition, PDL said higher numbers would ask President Giorgio Napolitano, Berlusconi issued a presidential pardon.
At one point during a press conference at State House yesterday, Letta asked if he did not feel at least a little at being in government with a party whose leader had just finally sentenced for tax evasion embarrassing.
"Everyone has to take responsibility for themselves, the country's interests should come first, and these interests are going to do things, all things, including the fight against tax evasion," said the smooth and seemingly unshakable Letta.
The problem is that the Supreme Court finally ruled Italy on Thursday as the leader of the coalition government partners Letta, the PDL is a delinquent taxes, which will soon have to serve a prison sentence of one year.
In fact, the court sentenced to four years, but Berlusconi has a year under the terms of a 2006 law "forgiveness", which reduces the center-left government of Romano Prodi.
Given his age, there was never a chance that Berlusconi (76) would serve his sentence in prison, thanks to a law of their own government in 2005, insisted that jail defendants who are older than 70 years prevents age, provided they have a clean criminal record.
In other words, Berlusconi serve his sentence of one year or under house arrest or community service.
In practice, nothing happens until mid-September, when Berlusconi was officially informed of the judgment against him. At that time, he has a month to decide for social services or house arrest either.
Meanwhile, the debate about its future raged hot and heavy yesterday in Rome.
His closest pursuer in the PDL argued that despite his sentence of one year and the resulting prohibition of public life, Berlusconi's center-right will continue to lead
"After Berlusconi is not only Berlusconi. 'S People of Freedom (PDL), Forza Italia, the largest party in Italy today. An Italian three-vote for the LDP, Forza Italia, Berlusconi," said Renato Brunetta, PDL party whip in the house.
Berlusconi himself had come to fight late on Thursday in a nine-minute televised address, in which he portrays himself as a victim.
He said the decision was his belief that the judiciary was out of control, once again claiming it was the victim of a political witch hunt left judges confirmed.
Such was the "hatred" against which was presented in 50 studies in the last 20 years.
In a speech, the echoes of his infamous "take the field" in 1994, when he went into politics with the new party, Forza Italia, Berlusconi said the ruling will have no other choice than to "continue our struggle for freedom" had , calls the best young minds to the cause of a new, newly founded Forza Italia.
High on the agenda of topics to be addressed by his new party, he suggested, would the Italian judicial reform.
In contrast, argued the party secretary PD Guglielmo Epifani, that the judgment "to respect and apply", Berlusconi's party who are not "acts of God" and therefore the risk of falling Letta government.
Epifani PS knows that the support of the people asking the party from the embarrassment of sharing government with a convicted felon resign.
Meanwhile, nothing is more eloquent polemic that front page headline yesterday Il Fatto Quotidiano, an independent newspaper left was relentless critic of Berlusconi.
"The offender was sentenced - the government is now a dead man walking".