Clamorous reverse this afternoon in the Montecitorio hall for the government, under the eyes of a stunned Silvio Berlusconi. The Executive, which had already risked going under in previous votes, it was rejected (290 votes in favor and 290 against, but the required majority was 291) on theArticle 1 of the 2011 budget adjustment. Immediate shouts from the opposition benches, shouting "resignation! resignation!".
The Speaker of the Chamber, Gianfranco Fini, argued that the vote "has obvious political implications". In turn, the leader of the Democratic Party, Dario Franceschini, declared that "the majority that supports the government no longer exists: neither in the country, nor in this Chamber". And the secretary of the Democrats, Pierluigi Bersani, added: "Berlusconi must be convinced to go to the Quirinale".
The prime minister left the courtroom disconsolate, while irritation was mounting in the PDL the absence of the Minister of Economy, Giulio Tremonti, which however did not affect the quorum. The number one in via XX Settembre was considered a "deputy on a mission" and his non-presence was taken into account when setting the majority stake.
However, 14 Pidellini deputies were also missing from the ranks of the majority, including former ministers Claudio Scajola and Antonio Martino, two Northern League supporters (Umberto Bossi and Matteo Bragantini) and six managers (including Domenico Scillipoti). In all, 26 defections.
