| Posted on the off-chance that Europe still matters ... |
President Giorgio Napolitano announced his decision after holding two days of talks with party leaders and receiving reassurances that Prodi had the necessary parliamentary backing. "I will seek a vote of confidence as soon as possible, with renewed impetus and a united coalition," Prodi said after meeting with the president.
Prodi stepped down on Wednesday after an embarrassing parliamentary defeat over foreign policy, including the government's plan to keep troops in Afghanistan. Defections by radical leftists, who have been voicing opposition to various government policies, were to blame. But Prodi's majority in the Senate is slim and his allies, which range from Catholic centrists to Communists, have proven unreliable. Centre-left leaders have been shopping for votes among moderates and Catholics to broaden their margin and avert what would be a disastrous loss in the Senate.