The members of the party council approved a corresponding prasidium resolution from october without any dissenting votes. "I am happy about this unanimity and believe it is a good omen for this adventure of freedom, which we are all working together to defend with this vote," berlusconi shouted to the applause of some 600 pdl officials – more than 200 stayed away from the meeting. With the FI, berlusconi had made the leap into politics in the 1990s and achieved brilliant results.
Deputies and government members loyal to the government around the former head of the pdl and deputy prime minister angelino alfano had already announced the formation of a separate group nuovo centrodestra (new center right). He is now here to announce the decision publicly, alfano said at a press conference in rome on saturday evening. It was a decision he never thought he would have to make. "For me this was a bitter and painful election."
According to alfano, 30 senators and 27 deputies belong to the nuovo centrodestra. This is enough to secure a majority for the coalition with the center-left PD party under prime minister enrico letta. The government is just half a year in office, said alfano. He suggested to the italians: "let’s see if the government achieves its goals in twelve months."The nuovo centrodestra will give itself its own symbol and statute and wants to be a grassroots party, said secretary of state giuseppe castiglione.
Both sides – berlusconi and the alfano group – tried to keep the doors open for the other side. Even if the new group now supports the PD, it will necessarily be part of a coalition of "moderates," berlusconi said. Therefore should not be torn up unnecessarily ditches.
The fronts in the pdl had recently hardened over the question of how the party would behave if berlusconi, who had been convicted of tax fraud, were to be expelled from the senate. The decision is for the 27th. November planned. For this case berlusconi demanded the closed exit of his party from the government.
It was hardly possible to remain in parliament with people who wanted to politically kill the leader of a party, berlusconi affirmed on saturday. The group around alfano argued against it, the preservation of the government of enrico letta had priority for the good of the country.
Up to the last minute, there had been attempts at mediation to prevent a split. Alfano had demanded, among other things, more inner-party democracy and a stay in the governing coalition.
"We are berlusconi’s friends, to whom we confirm our friendship and support," said alfano schlieblich. "We will support it from within the government, where we will fight for a fairer justice system and for tax cuts"." he also promised to vote in the senate against the exclusion of berlusconi. The anti-corruption law was wrongly applied here retroactively. "We believe that the pd should reconsider the decision and postpone the vote."