On Saturday November 12 at 9.42 pm CET Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has officially resigned.

His resignation arrived just few hours after the Italian parliament’s lower house passed an austerity measures package demanded by European Union and ECB in order to restore confidence in Italy’s economy and face the country’s heavy debt crisis.

Over 17 years, Berlusconi has always been the main character of the political scene in Italy, he was elected four times as prime minister – in 1994, 2001, 2005, and 2008 – and survived to more than 20 trials and accusations, several votes of confidence, sex scandals and conflict of interest.

After failing to win a parliamentary majority on a budget vote four days ago – for the first time since his election in 2008 – , he announced he would have left office right after the passage of the austerity package demanded by EU.

While the political events were getting hotter day by day, the economic crisis of the country kept on worsening especially because of the strong financial speculation of the markets.

Hence, in such a difficult and hard situation Berlusconi seemed to have no choice and had to surrender and eventually step down.

The news of his future resignation was welcomed by all the opposition parties, one part of his government coalition and a large portion of economics and politics experts and specialists.

Today after the austerity package was approved by the parliament lower chamber with 380 votes and the Republic President signed the legislation in the afternoon, the crucial moment arrived.

The official meeting to hand in his resignation to Republic President Giorgio Napolitano was set for 8.30 pm CET but Berlusconi arrived notably late.

Many people gathered in Rome, out of the presidential palace, to witness the last minutes of Berlusconi as prime minister and celebrate his resignation. At his arrival at the crowds started shouting “Buffoon!”, “Shame!”, and “Get out!”.

For about 40 minutes all the country waited for the official news. Journalists from all around the world were there and the attention of the media was totally drawn on this extraordinary event. November 12 was called the “freedom day” by the crowds gathered in Rome as by many people on social network sites happy to see him leaving the scene.

When the news of Berlusconi resignation broke at 9.42 pm CET, the crowds erupted in cheers, waving Italian and European flags, singing, dancing, jumping for joy. Resistance period songs were struck, bottle of champagne open to toast, and also the Handel’s Hallelujah was performed by chorus of professional and non-professional singers and classical musicians.

Silvio Berlusconi stated he won’t run for next elections but he will keep on contributing and collaborating with his political party. He also wants to participate in the new transition government foundation putting members of his party as candidates.

The new government, which will be led by Mario Monti former European commissioner, will be probably made up of technocrats and economics experts who will have to deal with the heavy economic crisis and the huge debt of the country. Tomorrow Sunday 13, Republic President Giorgio Napolitano will announce the complete government coalition.

The resignation of Berlusconi is seen as the end of an era and a new start for Italy and its political scene but the scenario is still unclear and confused. Next weeks and months will tell us what will be the future of a country that is on the brink of precipice.

Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/andresubierna/6241870752/

The article Italy, Silvio Berlusconi Resigns as Prime Minister appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Brazil Supreme Court decision to reject extradition for the Italian ex terrorist Cesare Battisti could have heavy consequences on diplomatic relations between Italy and Brazil.

The sentence passed by the Brazilian Court just confirmed the decision of December 2010 of the former President Luiz Inàcio Lula da Silva, who announced on his last effective day as president his refusal to extradite Battisti.

Franco Frattini, Italy’s foreign minister, has defined the sentence of release shameful, and he said it was like “a slap in the face of the whole democratic world that fights terrorism”. The fist reaction of Italy was the recall of its ambassador in Brasilia Gherardo La Francesca, to discuss and study in depth the judicial bilateral agreements between the two countries, and to decide the steps to take to reverse the decision.

“What we have failed to achieve through the national judicial route we can achieve through the international judicial route,” declared the Foreign Minister announcing Italy’s intention to appeal to The Hague International Court of Justice. Also Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, and other Italian officials and politicians, condemned and criticized the Brazilian Supreme Court decision.

Brazilian former President Lula da Silva, cancelled his official visit to Italy this week, to avoid possible protests and disorders. During the Beach Volley World Championship, which is now taking place in Italy, a group of Italian protesters threw oranges at the Brazilian national team players, as a sign of disappointment for the decision on Battisti’s case.

Cesare Battisti, member of the Italian far-left militant group, Armed Proletarians for Communism (PAC) during the turbulent period of the so-called “anni di piombo” (years of lead), has been convicted of four murders committed in the ‘70s and sentenced to life imprisonment by the Italian Court. He escaped from Italy in 1981, after the first sentence for participation in armed group, first to France and later to Mexico, where he devoted himself to the writer activity. He returned to France in 1990 where he spent several years as a free man until 2004, when after the French government decided to arrest him and extradite him, he escaped to Brazil. There he was arrested in 2007, and in 2009 Brazilian government granted him the status of political refugee, until their final decision and subsequent release on 9^th of June.

During all the years he was in hiding, Battisti always denied having committed any of the murders he was charged with. His defending counsels challenge the decision of the Italian Court, asserting that there isn’t any proof of Battisti’s guilt, and that the sentence was based only on the declarations of Pietro Mutti, a militant of PAC who accused his fellow PAC member in order to obtain a penalty reduction for himself. Many intellectuals, writers, journalists, politicians and NGOs’ representatives in several countries supported and still support Cesare Battisti.

On the contrary, the relatives of the victims and some politicians in Italy now express outrage and push to reverse the decision of the Brazilian Court. Meanwhile in Rome the protests goes on; vice-minister of transports Roberto Castelli, refused to sign the air transports bilateral agreement with Brazil, as “a sign of protest towards a country which showed no respect for Italy,” he said.

The relations between the two countries seem to be deteriorating more and more as a result of the Battisti Case’s conclusion.

The article Italy and Brazil Relations Deteriorated for Italian Terrorist’s Release appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.