Source:Agencies Published: 2012-12-27 21:49:06
Italian politicians resumed their bickering on Wednesday, with supporters of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi taking aim at his successor Mario Monti despite a Christmas call from the Pope for political peace.
Just before midnight at the end of Christmas Day, Monti tweeted "Together, we saved Italy from disaster. Now we have to renew politics. Complaining won't help anything. Let's rise to politics!"
That irked center-right supporters of Berlusconi, who resigned last year to let Monti take over.
"Monti did not save Italy, he merely reaped the merits of four year of work by Berlusconi", said Gianfranco Rotondi, a parliamentarian from Berlusconi's People of Freedom (PDL) party.
The mud-slinging took place less than a day after Pope Benedict urged Italian politicians in a Christmas address to "favor the spirit of cooperation for the common good."
Monti resigned last week as promised after the budget was passed, and is staying on in a caretaker capacity until the formation of a new government after the elections. Although his exact plans for after the elections are not entirely clear, he is expected to remain influential.
Berlusconi has said it would be "immoral" for Monti to fight the election after governing as an unelected premier with the support of the main parties.
But not all of the center right opposes the prime minister. Italia Libera (A Free Italy), a group of 11 parliamentarians who have defected from Berlusconi's PDL, praised Monti's economic reform plans as "a Copernican revolution for those who are used to something that is as erosive and unproductive as the duel between forces for or against Berlusconi."
Analysts said Monti's offer to stay on as prime minister is motivated by a wish to prevent the scandal-tainted Berlusconi from returning to power and undoing key reforms,.
"Berlusconi is the number one adversary. Monti's objective is in part a clear attempt to destroy him politically," said Stefano Folli, political commentator for Il Sole 24 Ore newspaper.
Monti said Sunday that he would consider leading a pro-reform coalition in elections set for February 24-25, though not as a formal candidate.
Monti cannot officially run in the elections as he is already a senator for life, but under Italy's electoral system he can join the campaign, add his name to ballot lists and be asked to lead the country by whoever wins.
"Monti has thrown his hat into the ring because he wants to stop Berlusconi and he does not think the centre-left could get enough votes for a majority," said Roberto D'Alimonte, politics professor at the Luiss University in Rome.
Reuters - AFP