Italian PM resigns
Mr Prodi has been under intense pressure for his foreign policy decisions
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Wednesday, 21, Feb 2007 08:56
The prime minister of Italy, Romano Prodi, has tendered his resignation over his country's foreign policy.
Mr Prodi lost a vote in the Italian senate over the decision to deploy 2,000 troops to assist the coalition in Afghanistan and allow the United States to expand an airbase they control in northern Italy.
The government polled only 158 votes, needing a majority of 160 for the motion to be passed. The majority of the opposition are believed to have voted against the policy and 24 senators chose to abstain.
Following the defeat for Mr Prodi, a source in the cabinet told Reuters news agency that he expected the prime minister to quit his post.
"Prodi is going to hand in his resignation to the Quirinale [the president's palace]," said infrastructure minister Antonio di Pietro.
Mr Prodi's resignation has not yet been officially accepted by Giorgio Napolitano but the Italian president has made an early return from a scheduled trip to Bologna in order to hold emergency talks.
There has been a great deal of opposition to Mr Prodi's policy decisions regarding the deployment of Italian troops abroad and today's parliamentary defeat on what was described as a "key vote" by analysts has proved to be the final straw.
Opposition supporters had urged Mr Prodi to step down as soon as the result of today's vote was announced.
It is not clear what course of action Mr Napolitano will now take, although if Mr Prodi's resignation is accepted the option to dissolve the government and hold new elections is at the president's disposal.