By Catherine Hornby
ROME, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Thousands protested in Rome on Saturday against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi ahead of a no-confidence motion next week that could sink his government.
Families, pensioners and workers from across Italy streamed into squares in the capital to take part in marches organised by the centre-left opposition Democratic Party (PD).
'Berlusconi can buy what he wants, but not this square, not this Italy,' said the PD's Enrico Letta, surrounded by flag-waving supporters.
Berlusconi, a media billionaire, no longer enjoys an automatic majority in parliament since Gianfranco Fini, the speaker of the lower house and co-founder of the People of Freedom party, broke with him over a string of scandals.
Fini and his supporters have said the 74-year-old prime minister must resign or they will vote with the opposition against him on Tuesday and force him to step down.
But on Saturday, 16 MPs from Berlusconi's People of Freedom party and the breakaway Future and Freedom group called on Fini not to vote against the government and urged him to open discussions with the premier.
Berlusconi welcomed the appeal, though Fini's chief lieutenant Italo Bocchino said the no-confidence motion was looking inevitable.
As his supporters staged their own rallies across the country, Berlusconi said he was confident of surviving the vote, but said he could emerge weaker.
'We'll get the majority but the numbers will be lower than in the past and it will be harder to govern,' he said.
'IRRESPONSIBLE CRISIS'
Financial markets have so far been largely unmoved by the turmoil, but prolonged uncertainty in Italy, one of Europe's most heavily indebted nations, could unnerve investors already on high alert over the euro zone debt crisis.
If the prime minister loses Tuesday's vote, he would be forced to resign, a step which could prompt President Giorgio Napolitano to call early elections, which would not otherwise be due until 2013.
Slogans at Saturday's protest mocked the premier for scandals involving teenaged girls and parties at his villa, while others focused on his legal problems, with slogans such as 'Italy will change if Berlusconi goes to jail.'
Italian prosecutors opened an investigation on Friday into allegations by the centre-left opposition of attempts to buy votes in parliament ahead of the confidence vote.
'The first urgency in Italy is to send this government and this premier home,' Antonio Di Pietro, leader of the small Italy of Values party was quoted as saying by news agency ANSA.
Di Pietro, whose complaint on Friday led to the opening of the investigation, said the situation 'has reduced parliament, the temple of democracy, into an obscene market where MPs are prepared to sell their conscience and their dignity'.
(Editing by Andrew Roche)
((For a look at the possible scenarios in Italy's political crisis, click on)) Keywords: ITALY RALLIES/ (catherine.hornby@thomsonreuters.com; + 39 06 8522 4216, catherine.hornby.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.com) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
ROME, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Thousands protested in Rome on Saturday against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi ahead of a no-confidence motion next week that could sink his government.
Families, pensioners and workers from across Italy streamed into squares in the capital to take part in marches organised by the centre-left opposition Democratic Party (PD).
'Berlusconi can buy what he wants, but not this square, not this Italy,' said the PD's Enrico Letta, surrounded by flag-waving supporters.
Berlusconi, a media billionaire, no longer enjoys an automatic majority in parliament since Gianfranco Fini, the speaker of the lower house and co-founder of the People of Freedom party, broke with him over a string of scandals.
Fini and his supporters have said the 74-year-old prime minister must resign or they will vote with the opposition against him on Tuesday and force him to step down.
But on Saturday, 16 MPs from Berlusconi's People of Freedom party and the breakaway Future and Freedom group called on Fini not to vote against the government and urged him to open discussions with the premier.
Berlusconi welcomed the appeal, though Fini's chief lieutenant Italo Bocchino said the no-confidence motion was looking inevitable.
As his supporters staged their own rallies across the country, Berlusconi said he was confident of surviving the vote, but said he could emerge weaker.
'We'll get the majority but the numbers will be lower than in the past and it will be harder to govern,' he said.
'IRRESPONSIBLE CRISIS'
Financial markets have so far been largely unmoved by the turmoil, but prolonged uncertainty in Italy, one of Europe's most heavily indebted nations, could unnerve investors already on high alert over the euro zone debt crisis.
If the prime minister loses Tuesday's vote, he would be forced to resign, a step which could prompt President Giorgio Napolitano to call early elections, which would not otherwise be due until 2013.
Slogans at Saturday's protest mocked the premier for scandals involving teenaged girls and parties at his villa, while others focused on his legal problems, with slogans such as 'Italy will change if Berlusconi goes to jail.'
Italian prosecutors opened an investigation on Friday into allegations by the centre-left opposition of attempts to buy votes in parliament ahead of the confidence vote.
'The first urgency in Italy is to send this government and this premier home,' Antonio Di Pietro, leader of the small Italy of Values party was quoted as saying by news agency ANSA.
Di Pietro, whose complaint on Friday led to the opening of the investigation, said the situation 'has reduced parliament, the temple of democracy, into an obscene market where MPs are prepared to sell their conscience and their dignity'.
(Editing by Andrew Roche)
((For a look at the possible scenarios in Italy's political crisis, click on)) Keywords: ITALY RALLIES/ (catherine.hornby@thomsonreuters.com; + 39 06 8522 4216, catherine.hornby.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.com) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.